Dark Angel of Remnant
by KeySlinger09
Summary: In one night, Vergil had his mother and brother taken from him, and was nearly killed by the forces that wanted him dead. However, he was given the chance to live a life where he could ensure that no one would suffer the same way. However, the fire of vengeance still burns, and the Dark Angel will cut through all he has to to achieve it. All will come to know this Devil's Power
1. Vergil Trailer

The night was cold and crisp, several leaves on the ground having frozen by the temperature. To add to it, the night sky also brought forth a small rain of snow, gently falling onto the landscape below. The sight was one to behold, as several layers of snow covered the trees, the grass, anything that it could reach, giving the land a purer look. Unaffected by the struggles of man…

A thought that many, in this day and age, would've wished for more than anything else.

The sight the land alone was breath-taking, and certainly one to go and see for one's self, were they able to.

However, only one was standing out in the dead of night.

Dressed in a black cloak, completely obscuring his appearance, was a figure that sat cross-legged on the snow, in an area in the forest surrounded by trees in a circular shape. The snow somehow seemed to either move to the side as it neared him, or simply seemed to just fade away. The only indication that the person within the cloak was alive was the slight rise and fall seen from his breathing.

This proof of life was also noticed by those that seemed to be hiding behind the trees.

Emerging from behind the trees were creatures, seemingly wolf-like beasts with masks of bone covering their faces and highlighting their red, glowing eyes. Said eyes were all firmly locked on the cloaked figure, their jaws hanging open as the thought of food filling their stomachs quickly overtook their actions.

The figure beneath the cloak turned his head, seeming to take a mild interest in the monsters surrounding him, before lowering his head and returning to his previous form.

One of the beasts roared and lunged at him from behind, its claws outstretched and ready to tear the man to ribbons. The cloaked being, however, heard the beast coming and quickly rolled to the side, letting the beast land a few meters away. A second beast came at him from the side. This one swiped at his head, only for the figure to duck underneath, followed by an upwards slash to his jaw, only for him to evade that to.

Now annoyed, the figure shot out his hand, striking the creature in the head, causing its head to tear off and sent flying through the air, before it landed at the feet of more of its brethren and slowly faded away.

"… Quite unimpressive." The figure said.

Another beast tried to leap at him, but this time the figure grabbed a hold of his coat, tore it off and through it at the beast, blinding it long enough for the figure to make his move.

_*SLASH*_

The Creature was severed in two right down the middle. As the two halves of the beast separated, appearing behind them was the previously cloaked figure.

It was a man in his early twenties, with sliver hair that was brushed back, a pair of bright blue eyes and pale skin. He wore a black coat with blue lining and several joint patterns going up us sleeve and on his shoulders, a navy button shirt hidden underneath, bark blue jeans ans black boots. He also wore a gold pendant with a large, red jewel embedded in it.

In his hand, he held a katana sword that had a gold Tsuba guard and a black handle wrapped in white cloth, and also a black sheath that had a gold line in either side of the sheath that became the shape of a dragon at the tip.

The man slowly sheathed the blade before regarding the rest of the monsters. Now that his face was exposed, the clear glare that he gave the monsters seemed to affect them, a couple taking a step back in fear.

The man in the black and blue coat gave a grin of amusement, added with his glare to make him more intimidating.

"Also, a grave mistake to choose me as your target." he continued. "But… if it's a fight you want…"

He ran his hands through his hair, causing all of it to be brushed back, aside from a couple of strands that hung forward.

"Then who am I to say no?"

At that, another Beast lunged at the man. He saw this and batted the sheathed weapon into its jaw, causing it to go off balance and stumble, allowing him to stab the creature in the heart before cutting right through to the other side of the creature's chest, killing it instantly.

Another tried to hand a hit, but the warrior ducked and swiped at its feet with hit own foot. The momentum made the creature fly over his head, allowing him to slice in an upward arc, slicing the creature in two right down the middle. He stood up again, seeing a third beast running at him, but instead the warrior sheathed the sword and used it to beat the creature several times before grabbing it by the throat.

He stabbed the creature with the sheathed sword before releasing it and pulling out the sword, leaving the sheath inside. Kicked the sheathe, causing it to fire out like a missile, going through another beast that stood behind it and about to strike a third.

The man suddenly vanished appearing close to where the next beast stood. Before it struck, the warrior grabbed the sheath and used the blade of the weapon to slice horizontally through the creature's stomach. He kicked the torso, letting the lower half fall to its knees and fall to the side, while the torso rolled away.

The man looked back, seeing that there were several more of the monsters to cut down.

"… Damn Grimm." He said as he sheathed the blade again. "Nothing more than a nuisance."

The man raised his free hand and clicked his fingers. As he did, several blades, each one made up of a form of energy that gave a pale blue light. They all were pointed at the beasts. When he pointed at the Grimm, the blades rocketed at them, instantly shredding them into pieces. Some tried to escape the onslaught, but the blades seemed to home in on every one, ensuring none were spared the wrath.

After the blades ceased firing, the man walked over to inspect the damage. Upon arrival, he saw several pieces of Grimm resting on the ground, fading away into nothing. He breathed out audibly through his nose, seemingly annoyed.

"Nothing more than flies compared to the others." He stated, turning around from the fading carnage.

As he was leaving, however, he looked up an saw several more of the beasts falling down towards him, looking ready to tear him to pieces.

"… Do they ever learn?" he asked out loud as leaped high into the air. Each time he came near one, they were instantly sliced into two. By the time he was as high as he could go, all the falling beasts were nothing more than severed body parts raining down on the snow.

The man landed on the snowy ground, kneeling down and his sword digging int the snow in front of him. He slowly stood up and sheathed the blade. When he looked around and saw that the Grimm in the vicinity had been eliminated. He decided that it was best to leave.

As he was about to leave, he saw the cloak that he had been wearing earlier. He picked it up, seeing that he had cut off a small piece at the bottom. He frowned slightly at the sight, seeming to dislike having damaged the cloak. He looked inside the hood, shaking off some snow that had built up within, and saw a message that had been sewn in.

_To Vergil, hope this keeps you warm during the winter. _

_Love from Yang and Ruby_

Vergil gave a grin before wrapping the cloak around himself and making his way out of the forest.

As he walked, he came by a stream, where his reflection showed, not him, but a creature with a scaly blue coat, black clawed hands, an appendage sticking out of its left arm that looked like a sheathe, and a head with horns that seemed to point downwards, a demonic face with glowing blue eyes that would send the chill of death through anyone that saw them.

A being of terrible power, having lost all that he loved, only to be given the chance to live a life that promised respect, family, love… things he never received or was stolen from him, both in the most agonizing way.

Despite all that, Vergil had a goal, one that he wouldn't let anyone, his allies, his family, get in the way of. He would show the monster that killed his mother, the witch that aimed to harm all he now cared for, the man who betrayed him… they would be shown the true power and terror he wielded

_**None will forget this Devil's power**_

**Alright, ladies and gentlemen, what do you think?**

**While I was working on 'Red Like Grimm Roses' (which I hope you all like so far), I suddenly wondered if there were any RWBY x DMC crossovers with Vergil as the main star of the show. Surprisingly, there weren't that many, usually Dante taking the lead. Granted, I've no problem with that, as he, Vergil and Nero are all favorites of mine, but I thought that it wouldn't hurt to add more stuff to do with the Dark Angel.**

**In case you're wondering about the length, this was meant to be an introductory chapter, and I saw that there wasn't really much of a need to add as much. Think of it as the 'Vergil Trailer' for now.**

**Also, in case you ask, I didn't put up a picture for the story yet because I could find one that would best suit what I'm looking for, so I'm going to try and draw one myself. But, if you have any ideas for what I could do, or at least try, let me know, thanks.**

**Well, anyway, this is the start for another story. What do you think? Yay, nay, not sure? Well, I'll keep writing and you can give me your opinion as I go on. For now, leave a review to say what you think, and if you have any queries, I'll try and answer them as best I can.**

**Right, that's all from me. Hope you all are having a good day and I'll see you all later.**


	2. Lost but found

**Dia Guit, conas a Ta tu? Or, as it's said in English from Irish, hi, you are you?**

**Hope everyone's having a great day. It's St. Patrick's Day today, and let me tell you the town is BUZZING! It's hard to get around, but everyone's in a great mood and the parade was actually pretty good.**

**Before we get into it, just want to thank reno11206 for proof-reading this chapter. Cheers mate.**

**Right, without further a do, let's get into it.**

"_Hey, Summer! Where are you?"_

_Today was definitely one of the strangest ones this man was having so far. A little while ago, someone had given him a call to let him know that there was some work available. One of the main reasons he was called was because that he was one of the most skilled Huntsmen around, and could take on nearly anything that came his way._

_The reason why he accepted this, however, was mainly just to alleviate the boredom. Granted, he was working at Signal Academy, one of the best combat schools for those wanting to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. Normally, students would train there for a set number of years before training in one of the four main schools in Remnant._

_Working at Signal was great. He got to teach the kids how to defend themselves, the pay was good, and he got free food while he worked there. But… sometimes he would miss the thrill of actually going out into the open, fighting off Grimm and all. And so, when he got the call asking to investigate an area that was reported to have large levels of Grimm activity, he was on board._

_As he was about to leave, however, he had an unexpected addition made on the trip, which mortified him to the point that he nearly had a heart attack._

_As Taiyang walked through the forest, he ran a hand through his short, blond hair, his blue eyes scanning the area in search of his wife. He was wearing his usual gear, a button-shirt, brown sleeveless jacket, a silver pauldron on his right shoulder with a glove on the arm. He also wore a pair of cargo shorts and sandals._

"_C'mon, Summer. Where the heck are you?" Taiyang asked out loud._

"_Right behind you, honey."_

"_AAAAGH!"_

_Taiyang jumped high into the air, nearly reaching up to one of the branches of the trees. He landed back down, turning to see a woman with long, black hair, silver eyes and currently covered black long-sleeved shirt that faded to red at the bottom, black denim jeans and combat boots. She normally would've worn her black skirt and leggings, but she heard that this area was full of thorny plants that carried poison in the thorns, and she didn't want to take any risks._

"_SUMMER! C'mon, don't scare me like that." Taiyang yelled. "You know how jumpy I am!"_

_Summer Rose simply smiled at her husband. "Of course I know. It's pretty funny." She said. Resting a hand on his head and pulled him in for a brief kiss on the lips. She leaned back and gave him a smile. "Better?"_

"_Much better." Taiyang said, now much more positive. _

_With that, the two continued on their way. As the two walked on, Taiyang continuously looked at his wife with worry. He was scared because Summer was, in reality, the kind of person that throws herself head first into danger without giving it much though beforehand. Granted, she was a great leader, but he could remember the days that she dragged her teammates into situations that were, for a lack of a better phrase, unpleasant._

_Taiyang had considered trying to convince her not to come, but there was one VERY important rule that he had learned when he was younger about the woman._

_Never. Make. Her. Angry._

_Shaking the thoughts out of his head for the time being, they both continued to walk through the forest. As they walked along, they saw something… strange, to say the least._

_(Flashback end)_

"What did you think was strange?"

Pausing from her story, Summer looked up. Currently, she was standing in a large, open spaced office, one with a great view of the land and a glass floor showing several gears turning underneath. She and Taiyang were sitting in seats provided by the two people they were speaking to.

One was a woman with blond hair that was tied into a bun, green eyes that had a pair of glasses over them, a white blouse, a purple cape that was tattered at the end, black pants and boots. She held a riding crop in her right hand, seeming to keep a tight grip on it, which Taiyang found quite intimidating.

The other was a middle-aged man with messy hair, brown eyes a pair of spectacles resting on his face, dressed in a black suit with a green shirt and button vest. He was standing up while resting on a cane as he regarded the two hunters before him.

Currently, Summer and Taiyang were debriefing Ozpin about a certain… incident that occurred on their most recent mission together.

Summer spoke up. "Well, what was weird was that the area we came a cross looked war-torn. Not a piece of it looked left alone."

"We thought that a group of Huntsmen were fighting some Grimm at first." Taiyang added, seeming keen to add his part. "But, turns out that it wasn't the case."

The purple-caped woman. Otherwise known as Glynda Goodwitch, narrowed her eyes at Taiyang. "What do you mean, Tai?"

The middle-aged man tilted his head to one side, looking more curious than serious. "Is it to do with the oddity you and Summer came across?"

At that, Summer let out an involuntary laugh, gaining their attention.

"Oh, you have no idea."

(Flashback)

_A lot of the flora and foliage here in the forest wasn't in the best shape. In fact, it looked like that it had all been either crushed, torn or burnt. Every last part of this area gave the impression that there was a battle here. A tough one as well._

_Summer looked at the carnage in worry. "Do you think that there were other Huntsmen here?" she asked._

"_If there were, hope they managed to make it out safely." Taiyang answered. "Don't think I'd have liked to fight what they were fighting."_

_They decided to examine the area. If they could find anything like claw marks, footprints, even black feathers, it could give them an indication of what kind of Grimm could be present. Provided, of course, they haven't been scared off already._

"_I'm seeing prints." Summer said, finding large paw prints that resembled that of an Ursa (bear Grimm)._

"_Got some over here too." Taiyang said, lightly tracing around the prints of a Beowolf (Wolf Grimm). "And… something else as well."_

_Hearing this, Summer walked over to Taiyang to see what it was he was seeing. Upon arrival, she saw what he was talking about. It was a long, narrow opening in the ground. It looked like someone had slashed a sword through the ground._

_She looked back at Tai with a look of worry. "There were Huntsmen here, weren't there?"_

"_Let's… not assume the worst." Taiyang pointed out. "Maybe they're okay, and that there resting someplace nearby."_

_Hearing this, Summer wasn't completely sure. In situations like this, Murphy's law was an all-too common truth behind these types of situations. But, nonetheless, it was good to see her husband still trying to look on the Brightside._

"… _Yeah. There might be hope." She said._

"_There you go!" Taiyang said with a thumbs up. He then placed his hands around his hip and looked around. Upon further view, he saw several more slashes in the ground similar to this one. "Well, win or lose, this guy definitely put up a fight."_

"_Huh?" Summer sounded, looking surprised. "How do you know it was one guy?"_

"_The rest of the carnage looks too much like it was done by a Grimm, the way the greens are torn, the wider claw marks and animal prints, the works. Plus, I don't see anything that would indicate another weapon. It looks like only a sword was used against these guys." He looked at some of the scorch marks. "Maybe some fire dust, but, other than that…"_

_Summer formed a smile on her face. "Just as well you paid attention in Professor Port's classes."_

"_Well yeah, it wasn't that difficult." Taiyang said. A couple of seconds later, he couldn't help but burst out laughing from what he said. After quickly recovering he looked back at Summer._

_Summer laughed to, knowing how the man had the ability to lull his students to sleep with his lectures. Being able to stay awake in his class was one of the greatest achievements one can hold during their time at Beacon._

_After the two calmed down, they continued the search, hoping to find any indication as to if whether or not the Huntsman made their escape._

"_Well, any idea as to where they could've gone to?" Taiyang asked._

_Summer was about to say something, but was interrupted when a sudden burst of howls rang through the air. They both looked around, wondering where the howling was coming from. After a couple of seconds, Summer snapped her head towards the south, pointing directly towards that direction._

"_Over there!" Summer yelled before sprinting off._

"_Wha- WHAT!? Sumer, wait!" Taiyng cried as he tried to catch up to her. "Aw man, this is gonna be a tough one."_

_The two ran as fast as they could. Summer had her right hand close to her side, preparing herself mentally for any fight that was to come. Eventually, the two came close to the source of the disturbance._

_They came to a skidding stop._

"… _Okay… maybe not so tough after all."_

_Upon arriving to the source of the sound, both Summer and Taiyang were surprised to see an old, abandoned church, surrounded by severed fading pieces of Grimm scattered across the ground, showing that it was quite recent. The Veteran Huntress and Huntsman were curious as to who could've managed to take out so many so quickly._

"_Dang." Tai said as he ran his hand through his hair. "Looks like we're missing all the action."_

"_Oh, I'm sure there's something for us somewhere." Summer said._

_With that, they decided to check to inside the church. With any hope, they could find what was causing the high levels of 'supposed' Grimm (as they all seemed to be slaughtered before the married couple even arrived), or at least find out who had been taking out the Grimm. With any luck, they could be hiding within the church._

_As they walked closer, Summer had a sudden feeling of bewilderment. "Who the heck builds a church out in the middle of nowhere?" she asked out loud._

_Taiyang shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe someone was planning to set up a settlement." He suggested._

_The conversation didn't progress any further, as the two found themselves inside the church. Summer had her weapon drawn just in case. A silver blade that was broad enough to make it seem like a small Zweihander, but still had a one-handed grip. Taiyang didn't have a weapon on him, but he didn't need one. He was more than confident in his ability in hand to hand, which was something not too many people can boast about. _

_There were three things they noticed upon entering the church. One, it was pitch black, with many of the windows having been boarded up, presumably to keep out any Grimm. Second, the inside was destroyed. Many of the pews were broken in half, the walls also sporting their share of damage, while several areas were covered in dried blood, putting Taiyang on edge._

_The third, and perhaps the TRUE number one thing, however, was the sound of a child crying._

_Both Summer and Taiyang were instantly worried. Not for themselves, but for the safety of the child. They had two children of their own, their oldest was three, while their youngest was just a year old. The idea of them getting upset of hurt…_

"_Hey! Is anyone here?"_

_The crying stopped, soon followed by the sound of panicked gasps. Summer and Tai heard something else. They saw a chalice rolling away from the alter at the top of the church. Dead giveaway. They walked over to the alter._

_Upon arrival, they looked behind and saw who was the source of the crying._

_Curled up in a ball was a young boy with short, silver hair, partially stained with blood. His clothes were also stained with blood, as well as torn. By his side was a Katana sheathed in a black Lacquered wood sheath that had a gold sash tied to it, the handle having a gold tsuba and white wrapping._

_Taiyang reached a hand out to the boy. "Hey, you okay ki-WHOA!"_

_Taiyang managed to narrowly avoid the now unsheathed Katana's blade, which almost took his hand. The boy jumped back some distance, aiming the point of the weapon directly at the two. His crystal blue eyes were swollen from the crying and filled with fear._

"_Don't… come near me!" he tried to shout, but only came out in a strained whisper._

"…" _Summer felt part of her ache upon seeing the child. He was covered in blood, like he had narrowly avoid being killed, and was pointing a blade at them, thinking they were here to hurt him. Her fingers instinctively curled into her palms as she thought about what this boy might have gone through before coming here._

_Then a thought occurred to her. She looked at the entrance before looking back at the boy. She squatted down as she tried to look at the boy at eye-level. "Are you the one that killed the Grimm?" she asked seriously._

"… _You mean… the demons?" the boy asked. After receiving a nod from Summer the boy answered "Y… Yes, I did."_

_This piece of information surprised Taiyang. "Seriously!?" he asked excitedly. He took a step forward, which caused the boy to aim his Katana at the man. "Whoa, uh, okay. I won't come any closer."_

_Summer decided to speak from there. "My name is Summer Rose." She pointed to her husband. "This goofball is my husband, Taiyang Xiao Long."_

"_Hey!" Tai yelled._

"…" _The boy didn't move for a few seconds. When he did, he just lowered the Katana slightly. "You're… not with them?"_

"_Who are 'them'?" Taiyang asked._

_The boy tightened his grip on the weapon, his hands shaking lightly as more tears formed around his eyes. "The… monsters that… that killed mom."_

_Hearing this, both Tai and Summer felt their hearts ache from what they heard. It would explain why the boy was on his own, fending for himself. Summer tried to move forward, hoping that he wouldn't try to cut her down. Something in the back of her head told her that he was a lot stronger than he looked._

"_How did you end up here?" she asked._

_After a few seconds of silence, the boy slowly lowered the tip of the blade to the ground. "I… I don't know. The monsters took me… tried to throw me into something… but I hurt him and… I woke up in the forest."_

_Summer moved closer to the boy, soon standing directly in front of him and kneeling down, making sure to avoid the blade. As she got closer, she saw something that surprised her very much. The boy was wearing a gold amulet that had a large, scarlet jewel on the center._

"_That's a pretty necklace." She said to him._

"… _It was… from mom." The boy said._

_Taiyang crossed his arms before speaking. "What's your name, kid?"_

_The boy didn't answer immediately. He back and forth between the tow adults. He couldn't sense any malice from them. In fact, they both seemed and, somehow, felt like really good people. Maybe he could trust them._

"… _Vergil."_

(Flashback end)

"So, that's how you found the boy." Ozpin said.

He looked towards the far corner of the room. There, he saw the boy that Summer spoke of in her recount. He was currently wrapped in a blanket, clutching onto his Katana tightly. He wouldn't dare let it go, saying that it was too important to him. He hadn't looked up once since he arrived.

Ozpin looked back at Summer and Taiyang. He could tell that the boy would feel uncomfortable if he saw so many people pitying him. "So, you found Vergil in the church, outside where it looked like there was a mini-war." Ozpin stated.

"Yep, sound's about right." Taiyang said.

Glynda adjusted her glasses before speaking. "Might I ask, do you really believe that the boy actually took on a hoard of Grimm, do you?"

"… Uh…"

Summer and Taiyang looked at each other nervously for a moment before looking back at the Beacon staff, much to the latter two's confusion.

"Is something wrong?" Ozpin asked.

Summer decided to speak. "Well, we didn't believe it either, but…"

"But what?" Glynda asked, now looking confused.

Summer scratched the back of her head before continuing. "Well…"

_(Flashback)_

_Soon, the three people exited the church. The young Vergil held onto the sheathed Katana. Taiyang would've been keen to keep a blade like that away from such a young child, but seeing how well the boy seemed able to wield the blade, he decided to let it slide for now._

"_You seemed to know how to use that sword, kid." Taiyang said to the boy. "Were you told how to use it?"_

_Vergil shook his head. "Only… used it… not too long ago."_

_Summer quickly opened her cloak, revealing that she had a small satchel attached to her hip. She delved in and quickly pulled out a bottle of water. She inwardly sighed on there not being much left. However, she could tell that Vergil needed it. She turned and held out the bottle for Vergil._

_The silver-haired boy looked at the bottle for a moment before looking at Summer with a blank expression._

"_I… figured you might like it." She said to him. "You sound like your throat's drying up."_

_Vergil looked back at the bottle. Summer saw the look on his face, looking like he had never been shown any kindness in a long time. After a moment, Vergil nodded and drank the remaining amount of water. When he was finished, he handed the bottle back to her._

"_Thank you." Vergil said, his voice now less strained than before._

_With that, The three continued on their way. Eventually after reaching their destination. Vergil looked upward in slight awe upon coming across a particular sight._

"_What's that?"_

_Taiyang and Summer looked back at the bullhead, the airship that they borrowed to come here. They then looked back at Vergil, clearly surprised by Vergil's question._

"_Seriously, kid?" Tai asked. "You never saw a Bullhead before?" he asked._

_Vergil shook his head._

_Summer leaned forward and pointed an index finger up. "To sum it up, it's an airship that helps us get around easier." She then pointed towards the ship. "That one's got some awesome thrusters, helped us get here in no time."_

_Vergil nodded in understanding. "It's… impressive."_

_Taiyang motioned towards the ship. "Well, we'll use it to head back to Vale. Hopefully we can find a way to help you."_

"… _What's… 'Vale'?"_

"…"

_Summer and Taiyang just seemed to freeze. Vergil looked back and forth between the two adults, wondering if there was something wrong. He was about to say something, when Taiyang jumped in front of him, not too close, but he was still close enough for Vergil to jumped at the sight of his bewildered expression._

"_SERIOUSLY! I mean, a Bullhead, I can understand, BUT HOW DO YOU NOW KNOW ABOUT VA-"_

_Taiyang didn't get any farther, as Summer swung her hand out and struck him in the stomach, clearly causing intense pain in her husband's stomach. After a few seconds, the Huntsman in question tilted to one side before collapsing to the ground, groaning in pain as he clutched onto his stomach._

_Summer turned back to Vergil before laughing nervously. "Uh, sorry about that, Vergil. Taiyang can be… uh… 'eccentric' sometimes."_

"_It's fine." Vergil replied plainly. "But what had him surprised?"_

_Summer simply shook her head. "Well, let's just say that you're in a different part of the world now." She said, deciding not to push the subject of where it came from, in case it only brought up more bad memories for him._

_Vergil nodded. "I know." He said. "The monsters that took me. I thought they were going to take me to their lair. Instead I… ended up here… with different… weaker monsters."_

"_!" this surprised Summer. "Weaker?" she asked him, knowing full well how tough the Grimm can be._

_Vergil nodded. "The ones that killed Mom… I fought them off when they tried to kidnap me… I hit one of them with the sword… I made him dizzy and… now I'm here."_

"_Owww…"_

_Vergil and Summer turned to see Taiyang managing to sit up. He looked back at Vergil, now much calmer than before, but still stunned._

"_Kid… are you saying you're not from Vale, and from a place that makes the Grimm look like wimpy puppies?" he asked._

_It was Vergil's turn to look surprised. What shocked him was that the man was conscious again even after receiving what looked like a strong hit that would've severely hurt another human. Before he could get a word in, Taiyang held a hand up to stop him._

_Seeing Vergil's surprise, Taiyang gave a grin, knowing full well what he was thinking. "Summer's tough, but that hit wasn't NEARLY enough to knock me out." He explained. "Heard the conversation you both had."_

"_Why didn't you say anything?" Summer asked._

_Taiyang looked at her while pointing towards his stomach. "Because it STILL HURT! I was recovering." he exclaimed. "Speaking of which, what WAS it for?"_

"_For acting like you've lost your mind in front of Vergil." Summer answered with her hands on her hips._

"_Uh, we're 'Hunters'. I'm pretty sure we threw away are sanity when we signed up for the job."_

_As the tow continued to banter, Vergil couldn't help but observe it. He wondered if this was what a married man and woman would normally act… would this have been what it was like for mon and dad. The memory of his recently late mother caused more tears to build up in his eyes, but his face was still blank._

_He was brought out of his thoughts, however, when his ears picked up a sound some distance away. "Something's coming!" he exclaimed, unsheathing the katana._

_Summer and Taiyang were unsure of what Vergil meant. That is, until both adults heard the sound of a low growl coming from the distance. They looked back at Vergil briefly, surprised that he was able to sense the Grimm._

"_How did you do that?" Taiyang asked._

"_You didn't hear that?" Vergil asked in return._

_Before anyone could say anything else, an ear-piercing roar rang through the air, causing the three to tense. Summer readied her bow while Taiyang readied his battle stance._

_The source of the roar soon made itself present. Before then was a large Beowolf Grimm. It was a little larger than a normal Beowolf, but it was certainly not an Alpha. Behind the Beowolf was a pack of smaller beowolves, all of them looking as ravenous as the on in front of them._

_Summer stepped in front of Vergil. "Get inside the Bullhead, Vergil."_

_Hearing this, Vergil felt a little offended. Did she not think he was able to fight these things himself? Deciding that he needed to prove her wrong, he tried to step out in front of her._

"_No. I can fight too." He exclaimed, pointing the tip of his Katana at the Grimm._

"_Oh believe me, we know, kid."_

_Taiyang soon stepped up beside Summer, a confident smile forming on his face as he gave the Grimm what could be best described as a stare-down. After seeing the carnage outside the church, and presuming the site from earlier was his doing, then the child was well able to fight. But, Summer and Tai both felt that he had endured enough._

"_But you've done enough fighting for one day. Let us take it from here. Rest up." He said, his voice becoming slightly softer, showing that he had concern for the silver haired youth's safety._

"…" _Vergil was surprised. This was the second time that these humans tried to act so kind to him. That was the most kindness he had received from any human during his life so far, excluding his…_

_Vergil tightened his grips on the katana blade and its sheathe. The memory of his mother brought a pain in his chest. After a few seconds, he raised his head, looking at the Grimm before him. This caused him to remember the demons that killed his mother. The ones that brought him to the demon world and tried to kill him. Looking at them, he wasn't sad anymore._

_He was angry. A rage that he needed to let out._

"_I'm staying to fight."_

_Vergil pushed past the adults, followed by running towards the Grimm, his blue eyes gradually reflecting the fury he felt._

_Summer panicked when she saw Vergil dashing towards the Beowolves. "VERGIL!"_

_One of the Beowolves leaped from the pack and charged towards Vergil, ready to swipe at the boy. Before it could even get the chance, Vergil reacted, slicing the air and the arm of the Beowolf off with equal ease. Before the Beowolf could react, Vergil had spun around and diagonally slashed at the creature, separating its lower and upper half. The two halves hit the ground as Vergil came to a skidding stop._

"… _You're… weak." He said, his eyes not showing even a hint of fear towards the Grimm._

_Summer and Taiyang saw what Vergil did, both shocked at how he handled it with such ease. The former managed to shake off her shock, readying her bow as she took aim._

"_H-Hold on, Vergil." She said, still surprised, but not willing to let that distract her. She spotted two more Beowolves attempting to attack Vergil; she lifted her sword, flicking it to one side, causing the blade to sperate into two, soon taking the shape of a bow. She fired two arrows simultaneously at them, each arrow embedding themselves through the skull masks of the Grimm._

"_Aright!" a recovered Taiyang said. "Let's smash some heads!" he yelled before charging after the Grimm himself._

_He quickly passed Vergil and went for the apparent head of the pack. The larger Beowolf saw the brawler coming as curled its paw into a fist, using it to throw a punch at the Huntsman. However, Taiyang threw his own punch; the two fists collided, creating a shockwave that startled some of the other Beowolves._

_Taiyang followed by ducking and moving quickly to its stomach, landing a quick barrage of punches before rolling to the right, kicking it in the knee and making it lose balance. As the beast roared in pain, it widely swung its other arm. Taiyang wasn't fast enough, soon receiving a powerful blow that sent him flying back._

"_TAI!" Summer cried, leaping up into the air and catching her husband mid-air. They landed on the ground, followed by Taiyang looking at his wife with comically watery eyes._

"_Thank you so much, dear." He said with an equally comic tone before pulling into a hug, which she happily returned._

_Vergil, meanwhile, prepared himself for a round against the larger Beowolf. Gently resting the tip of his katana on the ground, he gripped the handle with both hands, readying himself for the fight._

"… _Grant me strength… Yamato."_

_Summer got ready to fight again, only to pale when she saw Vergil in front of the large Beowolf. "Vegil! Don't-"_

_Her words were lost on him._

_Vergil dashed forward and sliced at the Beowolf. As he did, the monster ended up catching the blade, surprising Vergil. However, the young boy pushed on, continuing to try and move the blade. From this, the blade sliced through the Grimm's hand, causing the beast to roar out in pain._

_Vergil landed on the ground and tried to step away, but he wasn't quick enough. In its rage, the larger Beowolf bared its claws and swiped at Vergil. The beast tore through the flesh on his stomach, causing Vergil to yell in pain briefly._

"_GAAHH!" he cried._

"_VERGIL!" Summer cried in horror._

_Vergil was sent flying back, tumbling on the ground before recovering and skidding backwards in a crouched position. He had a hand on his stomach as stared at the beast, now looking angrier than before._

_Summer ran up to Vergil and knelt beside him, looking more panicked than before. "Vergil, are you okay? Let me look at-"_

"_I'm fine." Vergil said, the glare in his eyes morphing into a stare of steel and ice._

"_Vergil, you got hurt by that thing! Let me-"_

"_Look!"_

_Vergil lifted his shirt, revealing that the wound that was inflicted on him was no longer there. In fact, it looked like there was nothing there to begin with, the only evidence being the further damage inflicted on Vergil's shirt._

_Summer was at a loss for words. "But… I saw blood… I-"_

"_Move!"_

_Vergil shoved Summer to one side as he rolled to the other, avoiding the charging Beowolf that came their way._

_Summer quickly recovered, aiming her bow at the Beowolf and firing several arrows at its feet, pinning it to the ground. The creature howled in pain, trying to break off the arrows that held it down. However, nothing gave way. What was most surprising was how stone began to quickly build up around the Grimm's legs._

_Summer grinned at the effect. "Sometimes, you can't beat the Earth Dust."_

_Her bow then formed into a sword. She held the weapon with two hands before charging towards the Beowolf. With as much strength as she could muster, the Huntress leaped into the air and swung the bow at the Beowolf's neck, the sharp edges instantly severing its head from its shoulders. _

_Summer landed with a skid, turning back to see the body of the larger Beowolf collapsing, soon beginning to fade away. As Summer admired her work, she brushed some of her hair back, as some of it was sticking to her face._

_Her thoughts then instantly returned to Vergil._

"_Vergil!?" she cried._

_She looked around frantically, afraid that the boy was still in danger. It was then that she saw Vergil some distance away, running towards the rest of the Beowolves. Her heart momentarily stopped in fear before she ran towards the child._

"_NO! Vergil, stay back!" she exclaimed._

_If the child heard her, he didn't show it. Instead, his thoughts were too focused on the remaining monsters before him._

_His eyes narrowed at the beasts, forming a glare that would scare the devil itself._

"_Let's go."_

_Vergil came up directly to one of the pack members, slicing upwards and slicing the creature in two easily. When another came up behind him, Vergil shoved the pommel of his weapon into the creature's gut, distracting it long enough to allow Vergil to drive the blade through the Grimm's stomach, followed by pushing the blade up and slicing through part of the torso and directly up the middle of the Grimm's head._

_Another Grimm tried to get the jump on Vergil, bearing its claws at the young boy and ready to strike._

"_Oh, no you don't!"_

_The Beowolf in question was instead met with a kick the head that sent it flying back. Standing where it once was the blond brawler Huntsman, seeming to have more vigour and holding a familiar scabbard in his hand._

"_Thought you'd like this back." Taiyang said, tossing the sheathe to the silver-haired boy._

_Vergil caught it with ease, followed by smacking the bottom of it into another Beowolf, before finishing it off with a clean slice to its head. As Vergil moved, he briefly lost balance, causing him to stumble slightly. This encouraged another Beowolf to try and lunge at the boy, only to meet a fist that broke through its mask, killing it in an instant._

_Taiyang checked to see how many Beowolves were left. Fortunately, there were only three left. He looked back at Vergil with a grin._

"_Wanna help finish them?" he asked._

_Vergil answered by pointing the tip of his blade at the remaining Grimm._

_This caused Taiyang to raise his brow in surprise, seeing how non-hesitant he was. Then again, given the situation, it's not necessarily a bad thing… he hoped._

"_Uh… that's the… spirit?" he said, unable to hold back his surprise. He then looked back at the Grimm, taking his battle stance. "So, uh, let's see-"_

_Taiyang didn't finish as he saw the boy dash forward. Vergil quickly closed the distance between him and the one in the centre. Vergil sheathed the blade, Yamato, and whacked the Grimm in the head once, followed by twice in the gut, before spinning around and unsheathing the sword to slice other Grimm in two._

_Vergil ducked under an incoming swipe from another Beowolf, only to have its arm severed. Before it got the chance to roar in pain, the beast was impaled in between the eyes, followed by a swift removal of the sword and a clean slice through the head._

_Taiyang moved in to take on the final Grimm. He was surprised by the kid's severity and ability. There weren't many people his age that could take on the Grimm like he had just done._

_Before Taiyang could get close, something flew right past his eye, flying right into the final Beowolf's head, killing it instantly. The Huntsman was surprised by this, until he turned to see where the shot came from, only to see his favourite Huntress holding up her bow._

"_And that's that." She said with a smirk, seemingly happy with her aim._

_With a flick of her wrist, the bow morphed back into a sword with the broad blade, to which Summer sheathed by her side. The sudden transformation surprised Vergil slightly, causing him to widen his eyes slightly._

_Summer walked up to the two of them. However, it soon became apparent that she was focusing her attention on her husband._

"… _Tai…?"_

"_Erm… yes?" Taiyang asked innocently, while taking a step back from his wife, having the distinct theory that he broke the most important rule._

_Despite her being shorter than her husband, she somehow managed to tower and look down at him, looking a lot angrier than the time she caught him and Yang working in the shed with a blowtorch._

"_YOU LET VERGIL FIGHT THOSE THINGS BY HIMSELF!? WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?"_

_Taiyang practically shrunk in fear when his wife yelled at him. To be fair, while Summer tried to stop Vergil herself, she didn't do so well in terms of stopping her. However, he was too afraid to say that, as no Grimm alive could match the angry glare that she always gave him when she was pushed over the edge._

"_He knew I could handle it."_

_Taiyang and Summer turned around to see Vergil looking at them both. His expression was calm but stern._

"_I'm more capable than you think. So stop being angry at him because you think I'm helpless." He said to her._

_Summer looked at the boy with brief surprise, before looking to the side and pouting. "That's… not what I meant." She said, feeling guilty for upsetting the boy._

_Vergil stayed silent for a moment, looking at the woman briefly before slowly forming an upset frown on his face. A part of him felt bad for being mean to one of the few people who was actually kind to him, but he wasn't keen on people underestimating him either._

"_I know." Vergil stated. "Plus, your husband knew I could handle myself. He looked ready to jump in should I have needed it." He explained._

"_Yeah!" Taiyang joined, only to instantly shirk away when Summer glared in his direction again._

_Vergil looked at the two adults for a moment before speaking. "So… what happens now?"_

_Summer and Taiyang turned their attention to the young boy after hearing that. They themselves weren't sure about what to do._

"… _Um…" Taiyang started, stroking his chin stubble as he thought of the best course of action._

_Summer was about to say something, when she suddenly felt her scroll vibrating. She took it out and saw the number showing up. It was then that the Huntress came up with an idea. She walked right up to Vergil and knelt down, a broad smile on her face and a look in her eyes that showed a glimmer of hope._

"_I think I know just the guy who can help." She said proudly._

(Flashback end)

"And thus, why you brought him here."

Ozpin sat back in his chair as he mulled over what Summer and Taiyang had told him. Finding an eight-year-old boy, who had apparently survived a horrific attack and had to, not just fight, but destroy hordes of Grimm only to find haven in an abandoned church. While not _the _most unusual story he had ever heard, it wasn't too far away from the top spot.

However, when he first saw the boy made their tale all the more believable.

Vergil's eyes showed fear, yes. Given the situation he was in it was understandable. But, there was also… a darkness. One that often acted as a sign of those who knew how to fight… and weren't afraid to kill… to see that in the eyes of a child…

Ozpin pinched the bridge of his nose and lowered his head as he tried to process this information. After a moment, he lowered his hand and looked back at the two that sat before him.

"Well… I must say that's quite an adventure you two had today." Ozpin said with a grin.

"Meh. Beats an average day at Signal." Taiyang said while shrugging his shoulders.

Ozpin's expression then became slightly more serious. "But, more importantly, now is the time to find the best solution for Vergil." He stated.

"Any luck finding out where he came from?" Summer asked.

At this, both Ozpin and Glynda shook their heads.

"We checked as many databases as we could, we also had James check some other records in case there was any mention of his name." Glynda explained. "Much to our surprise, there was no record of him in any of them It was as if the boy didn't exist until you found him."

"Then again..." Ozpin added. "It's not uncommon for people to set up settlements outside the kingdom. As dangerous as it could be, there are those who don't wish to be confined within the boundaries of any of the four kingdoms."

Taiyang slumped forward, feeling a slight amount of defeat. He and Summer hoped that they might be able to find some other relatives of his that could look after him. But, by the looks of things, the poor boy was all alone.

"Aw man. What do we do now?"

Summer was also disappointed by this outcome. She looked over her shoulder, seeing that Vergil still hadn't moved an inch. Every time she looked at him, she felt the pain any parent would feel if their child was in such turmoil. Part of her… no, her whole being felt the need to take all that pain away from him so he wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

But what could she…

"Wait."

All the adults in the room turned to look at Summer, who's expression seemed to light up all of a sudden. She slapped her hands against her thighs before saying "What if Tai and I look after him for now?"

"WHA!?" Tai asked in surprise. "I mean-don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind it, but… are you sure?" he asked, worried she might be making another blind decision. "I mean, we already have Yang and Ruby. If we take on another then-"

"Then we'll reimburse you for the expenses." Ozpin interjected, taking a sip from his mug of Cocoa before continuing. "If you do plan to look after the child, at least for a temporary basis, it wouldn't be fair to leave two of my best students without the necessities to help."

"Yes… of course." Glynda said, trying her best to hold in her irritation. Granted, it wasn't that she didn't want to help, but was worried about how much it might take out of the overall budget for Beacon.

Taiyang folded his arms and tilted his head to one side as he thought about Ozpin's offer. "Well… it that's the case, then I guess it would help out a lot. Thanks Oz."

"Happy to help." Ozpin replied. "So then, it's agreed?"

Tai and Summer both nodded their heads, confirming the decision. Summer then stood up from her seat and walked over to Vergil. She kneeled down so that she would be at eye-level with the boy.

"Hey Vergil." She said.

The boy looked up at the woman. He seemed to have calmed down now, but he still seemed a bit nervous. Summer gave him a warm smile before speaking.

"How would you like to stay with us for a while?" she asked him.

…

A couple of hours had passed since the meeting at Ozpin's office, already reaching evening time.

Where they had discussed the issue was 'Beacon Academy', one of four schools designed to train young warriors to become Huntsmen and Huntresses. Ozpin was the Headmaster, and was a man who always had the best interests for his students.

No sooner had they finished had the man organised a Bullhead for the three of them. Vergil once again marvelled at the airship, wondering how it was that such a thing could exist.

When they boarded the airship, Ozpin gave his farewells to the three. Remembering the manners his mother thought him, Vergil gave the man a courteous bow and thanked him for his help. While less formal, Taiyang and Summer thanked their old headmaster as well, both grateful for the help.

The three were then flying through the air, on their way back to Summer and Tai's home, Vergil sat in his chair, as still and silent as he was back at Beacon.

Seeing this, Taiyang went up to him. "Hey, you okay, Verg?"

"…" Vergil looked up at Tai, clearly confused. "Verg?"

"Yeah, you know, short for Vergil. I just though… you know… ah, never mind." Tai slumped back down on his seat in defeat. He then looked back at Vergil. "Seriously, though, you okay? You seem a little more serious after we left Beacon."

"…"

Vergil didn't answer immediately, as he was afraid that his answer would make Taiyang and Summer upset. Given that they saved him and offered him a place to stay, he didn't want to cause or do anything that would upset them.

But, seeing as How Taiyang looked at him with concern, he relented and answered the man's query.

"Is Ozpin… really that trustworthy?" Vergil asked him.

This surprised Vergil slightly. "Huh? Why makes you think he isn't?"

"… When I saw him… he looked like a man with a lot of secrets. He spoke like… there was more to him than he was letting on." Vergil answered. "I just don't think… it's safe to trust a man who seems to be hiding so much."

After hearing what Vergil had to say, Taiyang gave a slow nod. In actuality, Vergil hit the nail on the head. Ozpin was the kind of man who knew so much to the point that he felt that if anyone else knew, it would cause more harm than good. Admittedly, it was a part of Ozpin that laws drove him up the wall. But, he had proven time and again that he would help anyone who needed it, even if it meant putting himself on the line. _That _he could respect.

Though Taiyang was far more impressed that Vergil was able to pick up on that so quickly. Looks like he's as sharp as that sword he has.

Summer looked up from a magazine she was reading called 'Weapons' to look at Vergil. "Ozpin's a pretty vague guy, we'll admit, but we can rely on him. You too." She said to him.

Vergil saw how confident she was as she spoke of her old Headmaster. For most, it would be a clear sign that Ozpin was as trustworthy as they claimed. But for Vergil, having seen far too much darkness than any child showed see, he was not as trusting in Summer's ideals.

For now, he would give Ozpin the benefit of the doubt. But showed he prove otherwise-

"Hey, we're here!"

Vergi was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Summer exclaiming. He looked up at her, before turning to look out the window. He saw that they were lowering onto an island, not as big as the city of Vale, which they passed over on their way over here, but it was certainly quite a sight all the same.

Summer saw Vergil's look of surprise. She was happy to see that he wasn't wearing that dark look.

"That's right, Vergil." Summer stated, looking out at her home. "Welcome to Patch."

…..

"Hey! We're home!"

Landing on Patch hadn't taken long. There was a landing area for Bullheads to help speed up the process, as there was a history of Bullheads sinking into the sand on the beach.

After Summer, Tai and Vergil were on the ground, the three made their way to the house. It looked like a large cottage, along with a small garden in front. It gave the impression of something that had long alluded Vergil, Dante and their mother.

A real home.

After they went inside, Summer dashed a meter ahead and looked side to side enthusiastically.

After Summer announced their arrival, a head peaked out from behind the couch. It was a small girl with pale skin, blond hair that was tied into pig-tails and lilac eyes. Her face lit up with joy when she saw the adults.

"Mommy! Daddy!" she exclaimed before running up to summer and pulling her into a hug.

"Oh, Yang, it's always great to see you." Summer said as she returned Yang's hug. "How's my little dragon been?"

"See's as energetic as ever, let me tell ya."

Summer looked to the side to see who had spoken. The person in question was a man around her and Tai's age with short, spiky black hair, red eyes and pale skin. He wore a white shirt, a red tattered cape, black jeans and black dress shoes. In his arms he held a one-year old girl with short, black hair that was red at the tips, silver eyes and dressed in a black onesie.

Tai gave the man a wave. "Hey Qrow. Has Ruby been behaving herself while we were gone?"

The man, now known as Qrow, gave a small chuckle before speaking. "You kidding? She's a livewire, like her sister." He said. "But, nothing I couldn't handle."

When the girl saw Summer and Tai, her face seemed to light up as well. However, the girl then began to look curious as her eyes came upon Vergil.

Yang also saw the silver-haired boy. As she did, she tilted her head to one side. "Huh? Who's this?"

Tai lightly patted Vergil on the head, much to the boy's annoyance, as he spoke. "Girls, let me introduce you to Vergil. He's going to be staying with us for a while." He stated.

Yang looked up at her father in surprise. "Really? Why?"

"…" Tai suddenly froze as he tried to think of something to say. Needless to say, if he told them what happened it could be quite traumatizing for them. "It's, uh… cause we… Summer help me out here."

Summer gave a slight worried frown, trying to think of something on the spot. Ironic, how she was a pretty good tactician on the battlefield, but was just as slow as her husband when it came to quick-thinking outside of a warzone.

"My parents are away."

Tai and Summer perked up when they heard the boy speaking.

"They said that they were going to be gone for a while. They told me that Mr. Xiao Long and Mrs. Rose were going to mind me." He explained.

"Oh." Yang said in understanding. "So, how long are you going to stay here?"

The moment Yang asked that, Vergil's expression became one of hurt. "… They… didn't say." He said.

"In that case…" Yang took Vergil's right hand and shook it vigorously. "We'll get a lot more time to play. I'm Yang, nice to meet you."

Vergil was stunned by the sudden reaction from Yang. Yet another person was showing him kindness… no one where he was raised had ever treated him nicely before. In fact, many of the adults seemed to try and avoid him, and the other kids would call him a freak. To now have people treating him like a person…

It was weird, but… nice.

Tai grinned, happy to see that Yang didn't mind. "Well, that's one vote." He said.

Qrow walked over to the boy and knelt down, allowing the younger girl to look at Vergil more easily. When she did, she outstretched her hand towards Vergil. Vergil looked at the girl in confusion for a moment, not expecting something like this. Soon after, he lightly held onto the girl's hand, making sure not to grip too hard in case he hurt her.

Ruby looked at the boy in the eyes before smiling and laughing.

"Two for two." Summer said with two thumbs up. "Guess there's no problem with Vergil staying, huh?"

"Nope." Yang answered, while Ruby gave another laugh.

Summer looked at Vergil again and held out a hand to him. "Come on, I'll show you your room." She said to him.

"… Okay…" he said, still processing all that was happening.

As Vergil followed Summer up the stairs, Yang went up to Tai and grabbed onto his hand.

"Hey, Dad. Can you play with us now?" she asked, looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Aw, sorry sweetie, I can't. Need to rest up after the busy day." He said. "We can play tomorrow, though… maybe sneak in some of your mom's cookies." He finished, giving the girl a cheeky grin.

"I heard that!"

Taiyang paled after hearing his wife yelling after him. His look of fear caused Yang to laugh at her father. Slightly annoyed, Tai told Yang to go to bed. With that, she went to her room, while Tai picked up Ruby and went to lay her in her crib. Afterwards, Tai flopped down onto the couch and let his head hang back. He then looked up, seeing Qrow seated in the chair on his left.

"So…" Qrow started. "What's the deal with the kid?" he asked as he took out a flask.

Tai rubbed his forehead briefly before answering. "Summer and I found him while we were out on the mission. He took on a mad load of Grimm before hiding in an old church."

Qrow choked on some of his drink before looking at Tai in bewilderment. "Wait. Say WHAT?" he asked.

"I didn't think it was possible either." Tai said. "But, then a hoard of Grimm came up before we left. The kid was able to take 'em all on and tore them to shreds."

"… Whoa." Qrow said, his expression on of surprise. He knew that Tai wouldn't mess around about a situation like this, which made the idea of an eight-year-old single-handedly tearing up a hoard of Grimm all the more shocking. "That kid can't be normal."

"I agree." Tai said. "Gotta say, though, it was… it was…" Tai lifted his head and frowned as he tried to think of a way to describe Vergil's ability. "… I don't know what it was."

"Give it a try." Qrow said, now quite curious to know what the boy was like in a fight.

"… Well… he's pretty strong and fast." Tai started. "He used that sword pretty well… a little clumsy, maybe, but that's besides the point. He also looked pretty scary when he was staring them down."

"Damn." Qrow said before taking another drink from his flask. "So… think he could become a Huntsman?"

"I don't know." Tai said, looking up at the staircase. "I think Vergil had too much hardship sent his way to get involved in fighting again…"

"But?" Qrow asked, knowing that Taiyang had another thought on his mind.

"…But… something tells me there's gonna be a lot of hardship heading his way."

...

"Here's your room."

Sumer opened the door to the guest bedroom. In it was a single bed, a desk and a basket for laundry. Not much to it, but then again, there weren't many people who would rest here, so there wasn't any point.

Vergil walked in, quietly observing the room. Small, uncluttered, etc. The kind of room he always found best suited for himself, while Dante would clutter his room with items of interest he would find.

Summer leaned against the doorframe. "Hope you like it. It's not much, but… well…"

Vergil looked back at Summer, giving her the smallest of smiles. "It's great. Th… Thank you, Mrs. Rose." He said, causing the woman to grin back at im, seemingly happy that Vergil seemed a bit more at ease.

"Okay, awesome." She said. "If there's anything you need, just say the word."

"… Summer?"

"Yeah?"

Vergil's expression became slightly more serious before speaking. "Why are you being so kind to me?"

This surprised Summer. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"… The only person I ever knew who was as kind as you and everyone else I met… was my mom." He answered, seeming to struggle to bring up his mother. "Everyone who ever saw me saw me as a freak… something that shouldn't exist. They even said it to my face. Mom was the only person to see me as… a person."

"…" Summer's eyes instinctively widened when she heard this. She couldn't believe her ears. This information shocked Summer to a new degree. Was he really treated so badly before coming here? If so, then having lost his family… it made her so angry that her hands curled up into fists, tightened to the point that the skin on her hands threatened to tear. After taking a few calming breaths, she walked up to Vergil and knelt down so that he was at they were at eye-level. She placed a hand on his shoulder as she spoke.

"Vergil… I don't know what you had to go through… and I'm not sure I will. But I promise you this. I won't let anything like that happen to you." She said to him.

"Can you really promise that?" Vergil asked her, not convinced in the slightest.

Summer instantly pulled Vergil into a hug, much to the boy's surprise. Before he tried to pull himself out of the hug, he felt some warm moisture on his shoulder. He slowly pulled back to see Summer, a couple of tear stains on the sides of her face.

"I _swear _it Vergil. I won't let you get hurt like that." She stated.

Vergil looked at her in the eyes. In them, he saw the same look of care that Mom gave him and Dante when they were upset. It was then that Vergil knew that she would fight to keep her word.

"… Thank you, Summer." He managed to say.

With that, Summer helped Vergil get into the bed, leaving the sword, Yamato, right beside Vergil's bed. His amulet was placed on the beside table, so that Vergil wouldn't be too far away from it either. When he was settled, Summer lightly rubbed his head.

"Good night, Vergil." She said. With that, she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Vergil laid on the bed in silence, thinking about the events that happened from the church onwards. The people he had met, to the monsters he fought were so different. It was like… he got a second chance. An opportunity to live peacefully…

But there would be no point.

Vergil rolled over so that he was overlooking the Yamato. He reached out and grabbed the sheathed blade, his eyes forming into another glare.

The monsters that killed his mom. They were still out there, somewhere. Whatever the reason they attacked, they stole the only people he ever cared for, and that cared for him. He would… no, he _will _find the ones responsible. He would become stronger, to the point that he could outmatch any demon.

Even if it meant truly becoming one himself.

"Mom… Dante… one day… I will make this right."

**And that's that. Hope that everyone liked this chapter. Right now, i don't really have much to say, other than i hope that everyone has/had a great St. Paddy's Day and to remember to leave a review to say what you thought. Questions and feedback are always welcome.**

**Well, that's it from me. See you all later and ****_Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona_ (Happy St. Patrick's Day)**


	3. Challenges in Argus

**Hi everyone, hope all's well for yourselves. First of all, thanks a lot for your reviews, and for the many ideas that you suggested as well. It certainly gave me a lot to think about. While reading them, i saw that you all had a fai number of questions, so I'll answer the main ones right now.**

**1: Dante won't be making an appearance. He will be mentioned from time to time, but that's it. I'll be having this story focus on Vergil in terms of Devil May Cry characters. There will be some other DMC characters making an appearance, two i'm certain of. One of them is Mundus, and the other... you'l find out later on.**

**2: Vergil will NOT have a Harem. Personally, i don't like the idea them, so i'm leaving it out for this one. Though i do have some ideas for shipping, which i won't reveal yet.**

**3: I'm keeping Vergil's 'Might Makes Right' philosophy, but it will be toned down a bit given that he was raised by Tai and Summer. But, how it managed to stay with him in the RWBY-verse, you're about to find out.**

**Right, enough of that, on with the story.**

"_Mom? Are you out there? …Mom?"_

_Vergil was terrified. More terrified than he had ever remembered being. He was hiding under the table in the kitchen, curled up into a ball as he tried to calm himself down._

_He wasn't sure what had happened. The last thing he remembered, he was coming down the stairs, wanting to get a drink of water. Then, while he was in the kitchen, he suddenly smelled smoke, turning to see black air quickly filling the house, followed by an uncomfortable amount of heat._

_Hoping to escape the blaze, Vergil had hidden himself under the table, hoping that his mother would come and help._

_As Vergil trembled in fear, his panic levels soon began to rise when he saw that his mother wasn't coming._

"_M-Mom? Are you th-"_

_Vergil was cut off when he heard the sound of debris falling, and soon followed by the sound of… something sharp, being drawn across stone. Vergil recognized the sound, having been training himself with the only keepsake from his father. The blade with was kept safely up in his room._

"_AAAAAAGH!"_

_Vergil froze. He recognized the sound of his mother's screams. His arms further tightened around his knees, his strength threatening to break his legs. What made it worse was that the screams began again._

"_MOM!"_

_Vergil had enough. He got out from under the table, wanting to save his mother from whatever was causing her pain._

_Before he could, though, he was met face to face with something he didn't see before. It stood like a human, but it looked like anything but. It had pale, slimy-looking skin, red blood-like forearms, feet and head, had red wings and carried a scythe. The being looked at Vergil with a pair of yellow, glowing eyes._

_As terrifying as the creature looked, Vergil was more concerned for his mother._

"_OUT OF MY WAY!" he yelled._

_As Vergil tried to push past the monster, the beast pushed back, sending Vergil to the ground. Before the boy could recover, the being stomped on Vergil's stomach with a clawed foot, said claws digging into the boy's skin._

_A yelp of pain escaped Vergil. He found that he was able to heal more quickly than any child his age, but it did nothing to eliminate the pain that he was feeling._

"_Let me GO!" he yelled at the monster. "LET ME GO!"_

_The monster ignored him. Instead, it gripped the scythe with both hands, briskly raising the scythe into the air, looking ready to slice the boy in two. Quickly followed was the sound of the air being sliced as the creature brought the blade down on the boy._

_All Vergil could do at that time was let out a scream_

…_.._

"NO!"

Vergil shot up from his bed, trails of sweat going down his forehead. He eyes the room he was in, expecting to see the demons he saw in his dream. After a moment of surveying the room, he saw that he was the only one in the room, he calmed down slightly.

The silver haired man lowered his gaze and gritted his teeth.

"… That nightmare again…" he said, cursing the memory that had been plaguing his dreams.

For as long as he could remember, every time he slept, the only dream that would come to him was the night he lost his family. Fragments of memory at a time. He had seen, what to him was, the worst part of it all.

Vergil pinched the bridge of his nose, trying his best to forget it.

In his frustration, Vergil threw away the sheets on his bed stomped his feet onto the ground. Vergil slowly got off the bed and walked over to the chair, where his clothes lay. He was about to reach for his shirt, when his eyes caught sight of a particular amulet. The amulet his mother had gifted him with long ago.

Vergil remained expressionless as he gazed upon the item.

Vergil looked back to the chair, briskly putting on the clothes that rested there. He dressed himself in a pair of jeans, a navy shirt and black shoes. He also wore a black long coat with several blue snake-like patterns adorning the sleeves and shoulders.

When he was fully dressed, he made his way straight for the door. As he was about to open it, though, he saw the room's mirror, giving him a good view of his reflection, showing his blue eyes and silver hair that hung down. Seeing the latter, he lifted his hand up, brushing it back.

When he was happy with his appearance, he looked back towards the door, exiting the room and making his way down the hall. He was soon in the entrance of the main hall.

"Excuse me, young man."

Vergil came to a halt upon hearing the voice. He looked to the side, seeing the owner of the inn. An elderly man who wore a black button shirt under a white apron. He seemed to have quite the temper, having kicked out one of his guests last night for having tried to harass one of the other guests. When he looked up at Vergil, he did so with a small grin.

"Can I help you, sir?" Vergil asked.

The old man shook his head. "Nah. Just wanted to let you know that a letter came for you early this morning."

This surprised Vergil. "You don't find it suspicious that a letter came for me specifically?" he asked the owner of the inn.

"Happens more often here than you think." The owner answered. "The guy who delivered it smelled like a brewery, though."

At that, he realized who the letter had come from. Upon this realization, Vergil gritted his teeth in annoyance. How many times did he have to tell that fool…

Vergil looked back at the owner and nodded. "Thank you for giving me this." Vergil said, placing the letter in jacket. "I'll be back later." He said.

"Will I cook up some food? Free of charge." The owner offered.

"…" Vergil was quickly put on the spot. For dinner last night, the owner cooked him and the rest of the guest what was _meant _to be oatmeal… only Vergil was quite sure that it wasn't supposed to actually _move _out of the bowl.

"That's… kind of you. But I already made reservations elsewhere." Vergil told him.

The owner shrugged his shoulders. "Suit yourself." He said. "Hope you have a good day."

"You as well." Vergil replied before exiting the inn.

As he left, part of him felt sorry for whoever would have to eat the man's cooking.

…..

Vergil soon found himself walking in one of the parks in the city. Several people were out, enjoying the fresh air as much as they could. It good to see that there was so much activity going on. So many people in a good mood. Not only did it mean that the Grimm would be less likely to show up, but also that things around here haven't too affected by what had happened here.

A while ago, several of the Huntsmen here were injured, some of them irreparably, in an incident involving a Goliath Grimm. The attack left the town in a panic, and would have drawn in more Grimm. But, one Huntsmen had made an appearance. He took down the Grimm, as well as some other Grimm that had appeared, somehow managing to form terror within the dark creatures.

To this day, no one knows the identity of the hero. However, the name they gave him was quite popular around the city, showing how grateful they were, at least.

The Hero was known as-

"Nice timing, kiddo."

Vergil's train of thought had broken upon hearing the new, but familiar voice. Vergil looked to the side, seeing none other than Qrow Branwen standing before Vergil with his hands in his pockets.

Qrow gave Vergil a smirk. "Did you get the letter?"

"I did." Vergil answered. "Though I didn't get around to what you had to say."

"Actually, it's from the girls."

Vergil looked at Qrow with mild surprise. He then looked back at where he had the letter. After a moment of silence, Vergil gave a soft sigh.

"There's work to be done before that." Vergil stated.

"Geez." Qrow said. "You gotta learn to loosen up at some point."

Qrow sat up from the bench and walked around for a bit, his hands in his pocket. He looked back at Vergil, looking at him with slight concern now.

"Kid… are you sure you're ready for this?" he asked.

Vergil stood up from the bench and adjusted his collar. "If there is any doubt in _your _mind, old man, I would suggest that you snuff it out." Vergil said, adjusting his collar.

"I'm just worried." Qrow admitted. "Say it is what you think it is. Are you… you know, 'sure' that you can handle it?"

Vergil stopped adjusting his collar and looked at Qrow with full seriousness. "… Ever since that day, I've been ready to face them… and cut them down myself. There's nothing to fear." Vergil walked away. "I'll meet you later when the job is finished."

"…" Qrow watched the young man walk away. As he did, he felt concerned that he may be hiding more under the surface than he was letting on. Either way, trying to get anything out of him made getting blood from a stone look easy. All he could do now is hope that things go in Vergil's favour.

"Best of luck kid."

….

"Oh Sir! Thank goodness you managed to make it here!"

Vergil arrived at the appointed destination. He was outside an old mine, which was right next to a few small cottages. The cottages belong to the people who work at the mine, making the commute from their homes to the mines and vice versa less strenuous.

Vergil nodded in acknowledgement of the man speaking to him, one Edgar Wilson, the one who ran the mine. Everyone thought of him as the fairest boss in the world, knowing how to motivate the workforce and knows when to be strict. However, to Vergil he seemed more panicked than others in the town described him to be.

Though Vergil understood why.

"No issue, Mr. Wilson." Vergil said to the man. "Now, can you explain what it is that's happened here. The request seemed… vague, if I say so myself."

Edgar put a hand on his forehead and looked down, looking to be in a state of shock. "I… I'm not so sure how to describe it myself. When we were down in the mines earlier, we discovered an undisturbed recess in the lower levels. We managed to gain entry into a new part of the mine, but… it already had an occupant. It was a Grimm that I can't ever recall seeing or hearing about."

"…" Vergil looked at the entrance to the mine, his expression not faltering for a second. He looked back at Edgar. "Have the rest of the miners been evacuated?"

"Y-Yes. They are all living with relatives in the city." He answered.

Vergil then walked on, headed straight for the entrance to the mine.

"I will bring prove of my success when I return. In exchange, don't forget the payment." Vergil said sternly to him. While he did feel some sympathy for the man and his situation, said emotion had a small role to play in business.

"Of course." Edgar said, now looking more hopeful. "It will be here when you return."

Without another word, Vergil entered the mine. To most, it was so dark that they would need an external light source to light the way. But, with Vergil being a special case, he was able to see inside the cave as clear as day, better than most Faunus, actually.

Vergil came to an elevator that the miners used to go up down the different levels. But, seeing as he didn't like to waste time, he took the faster approach. He stepped off the ledge and let himself fall down, letting gravity to the work for him.

When he was close to the lowest level, be bent he knees and landed, the force of the landing forming cracks in the ground, but he himself was unscathed. He stood up straight, looking for the new part of the mine that Edgar had told him about. It didn't help that there were already a few tunnels after being built down here, making it easy for one to get lost.

Vergil sighed. "Perhaps I should've asked which tunnel was the right one." He said. "… No matter."

Vergil closed his eyes and lowered his head. After a few seconds of silence, he heard the sound of a low growl, something akin to a beast sleeping. His sharp hearing was able to hear the monster, and with it, he was able to find the right tunnel.

He looked at the one to the farthest right, a smirk forming on his face. "So that's where you're hiding… in that case…"

Vergil put a hand into his pocket and pulled out an orange Dust crystal. This brand was in fact an explosive Dust crystal. It can be very volatile and could cause serious damage if used improperly.

As such, he held his other hand over the crystal. A small layer of blue and black energy began to form over the crystal; it now had a protective layer, which should allow it to be protect temporaily. Vergil then threw the crystal down the tunnel as hard as he could.

When he wasn't able to hear the crystal bouncing off of anything, Vergil clicked his fingers. He summoned a light blue, transparent sword, shaped like a longsword with a cross handle. The summoned sword shot down the tunnel. In a couple a seconds, a large explosion came from within the tunnel. The pressure blast came through, blasting everything away from where it one was, aside from Vergil, who stood as still as a statue.

"… Rise from your slumber…" Vergil said, waiting for the Grimm to come out.

A loud roar suddenly filled the mine, causing everything around him to shake. He paid no heed to it, as he was more focused on the source. As the shaking began to increase, Vergil dragged a foot forward and got into a fighting stance.

Without warning, one of the largest sets of jaws he had ever seen in his life appeared, wide open and ready to devour him.

….

Edgar was waiting impatiently for Vergil. He was walking back and forth, fidgeting with his fingers not stopping for a second. If he had continued to do so, he would've worn a mini-trench in the ground. He came to a stop, looking at the entrance to the mine.

"… Will he be able do the job?"

There have been two other Huntsmen that came before this young man. Both had been in the job for years, looking to be in their fories and armed to the teeth. He looked to be freshly out of an Huntsman Academy, and he wasn't even armed.

He was beginning to wonder if it was a good idea to hire him.

_*BOOM*_

Edgar was blasted out of the way when the entrance to the mine suddenly explode. He came to a rolling stop, his head looking up to see what had burst free from the mine.

It was a large, black serpant, looking to be at least 50 feet long. It looked similar to a King Taiju, but the head of the serpent looked more dragonic, with several scales sticking out like spikes, as well as red eyes with black, slitted pupils. The scales on its body seemed more defined as well.

"… What in… the world?" Edgar couldn't help but say.

"A Knucker Grimm."

Edgar jumped, looking back to see Vergil standing behind him.

"VERGIL!?" he cried. "How did you-"

"This one seems to be without its wings." Vergil noted, ignoring Edgar for the time being. "Judging by the scars on its back. And judging from the scars in other places, he had lost his arms and legs as well… what a shame."

Vergil gave a sigh of annoyance. "And to top it all off… you weren't what I was looking for."

At that, Vergil outstretched his left hand. A blue, demonic seal appeared over his palm, which released Vergil's weapon of choice.

The Yamato.

Vergil developed the technique a few years after he first arrived in Remnant, as he wasn't allowed to carry the sword on him visibly, but there was no way in hell that he was going to stay separated from the last memento from his past and family. Fortunately, he found he could manipulate his power in multiple ways, his sword and storing of his sword being the tip of the iceberg.

Vergil grabbed the sheathed sword, slowly lowering it by his side.

The Knucker Grimm roared again, this time sending an ear-piercing sound that brought Edgar to the ground in pain. Vergil, despite his sharper hearing, still remained standing, gritting his teeth as he bared through the roar. When it ended, Vergil narrowed his eyes and glared at the Grimm.

"Is that all you can do?"

The Knucker, as if in response, charged at Vergil, it's jaws wide open again for the kill. Instead, Vergil quickly moved to the side, letting the Grimm strike the ground where he first stood. He then took the opportunity to stab the Grimm in its eyes, before turning the blade within its eye socket and slashing through the skull and flesh of the Grimm, making the creature roar in agony.

As the Grimm freed itself, Vergil leaped into the air, keeping in eyes fixed on the top of the Grimm's head. When the Grimm stopped moving, Vergil vanished in a blue and black blur, reappearing on top of the Grimm's head. Vergil summoned a volley of summoned swords, before directing them toward the back of the creature. At that, they all impaled the creature's body, looking like spikes going down its back.

The Krucker Grimm shook itself, wanting to get the swords out of its body, while also trying to shake off the warrior that was responsible for the wounds. Vergil himself leaped off the creature's head, easily landing back on the ground. The Grimm looked down at him, its one remaining eye glowing with hate and anger. It charged once more, only for Vergil to move to its blindside at the last minute, sheathing his sword at the same time. When the Grimm's head was close enough, Vergil whacked the side of the Grimm's head, sending it back and having it skidding on the ground. It came to a stop, sharply moving towards Vergil again, who responded by whacking the Grimm again, this time to the bottom of its mouth, sending the head flying up to the air.

Vergil stood ready to unsheathe the Yamato, glaring up at the Grimm.

"Perish!"

The Grimm was suddenly hit with a barrage of slashes that seemed to appear out of nowhere, each one digging deep into the creature's skin, causing it severe skin. The techique used was 'Judgement Cut', one of his more useful moves when trying to outmatch an opponent, since most couldn't see it coming.

Vergil almost felt sorry for the Grimm… _almost_.

The Grimm fell down once more, this time lowly whining in pain. Soon, the creature started fading away, black particles and smoke filling the air. The through the dark clouds, Vergil walked calmly through, bearing a cold a steely gaze towards the dying Grimm.

"You put up a good effort." He said when he was right in front of the Grimm. "However…"

Vergil unsheathed the Yamato, them placed the tip right between its eyes, and slowly pushed the blade through. The Krucker widened its eye briefly, before the glowing red finally died out, and the entire body of the Grimm vanished in a cloud of black. When it faded, Vergil was standing alone in the ruined entrance to the Mine.

"In… Incredible."

Vergil turned around, seeing Edgar before him, his legs shaking and he seemed to have paled considerably.

"The rumours were true… a man with great strength and speed, wielding a sword with devastating power and precision…"

Edgar slowly stopped skaing, but his look of awe was still present.

"The Dark Slayer."

"…"

Vergil ignored the mention of the title he earned. He dispelled the Yamato, glaring at Edgar in annoyance. "The Grimm is dealt with. Onto the matter of payment."

"Huh?... Oh! O-Of course." Edgar, said, waking up from his awe. As he was about to leave, he looked back at the entrance to the mine, seeing all the damage. "I hoped that there wouldn't be such damage."

Vergil walked past his employer as he begun to spoke. "All others who faced that Grimm made the mistake of trying to fight it in the dark tunnels, where it had adapted and knew it's way around. It was better to brig it out into the open…" Vergil looked back at the man with a cold stare. "Unless you would've preferred to have it stay."

"…" Edgar was silent, focusing on the damage done, knowing that it would take a long time to repair. However, at least the that monster was gone. He walked forward, catching up to Vergil. As they walked on, Edgar couldn't help but wonder how Vergil was even able to take on such a vicious monster…

He even began to wonder if the young man was human at all.

…..

Several hours after the job, Vergil was now seated in one of the town's bars.

He came here if he ever had to come here. Partly because the food they served here was quite delicious, but he would mainly come here because it was one of the hot stops for gossip. Most of it was general nonsense, family troubles, stories of drunkards making fools of themselves, and so one. However, there was the odd diamond in the rough, there being information on rumors of dangerous Grimm or criminals.

It was this part of the bar discussion that intrigued him. It was here that he had learned of the crippled Krucker that rested in the mines. But, based on the rumours, it sounded to be something different to a Grimm. Something way worse…

Like the Demons that killed his mother and his brother.

"Hey, Vergil."

Vergil was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the sound of someone he knew in this town. He turned in his seat to see a woman with long, blond hair, blue eyes, dressed in white, sleeveless jacket, an orange shirt, brown pants and dark brown boots.

"Saphron." Vergil said, a small smirk forming on his face. "It's been a while."

"Too long, Mister Broody." She said back to him, taking a seat next to him. She ordered a light beer and leaned forward, resting on the counter.

"Tough day at work?" Vergil asked, taking a sip from a glass of water he had ordered earlier.

"Yeah… a number of kids came to me today, said that they were having problems." She answered. At the moment, she was working as a counselor at the local combat school, Prime. She would heare out kids who were having issues of their own, and she would help them out as best she could. Fortunately, she was quite good at her job, and many of the kids would feel better after having talked with her.

The bartender arrived with her order, she paid him and took a brief sip. She looked at Vergil with a grin.

"Not nearly as busy as you, though. Everyone could see that Grimm going nuts." She said.

"It was merely a nuisance." He said. "Also, how were you sure it was me?"

"Duh. There aren't many Hunters that can take down something that big like you can." She answered, saying it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Vergil said nothing, but inwardly smirked at the comment.

"So, how's your girlfriend?" Vergil asked his apparent drinking buddy (even though she was doing the drinking).

"Terra's great." Saphron answered, looking a bit happier. She always liked to talk about the love of her life when she got the chance. "She just got hired as a Technician for the Relay Tower. So far she likes it there, and she's getting paid well to boot."

"All good to hear." Vergil said. "But… iwas referring to your proposal to the woman."

This caused Saphron to choke briefly on her drink, forcing her to put it down on the counter and cough briefly. She looked back at Vergil, who was looking at her with his usual cold and calm expression.

"Um… well, I… didn't get around to it." She answered.

"Odd." Vergil replied. "You seemed rather determined to do so the last time we spoke."

"Yeah, well… Things… got in the way…"

Saphron looked down at her Beverage, a look of uncertainty forming. Her relationship with Terra was something a few of the people here frowned upon. Unfortunately, that also included Terra's parents. When they first found out about their relationship, Terra and her parents became… distant from each other. Se took it pretty hard, and Saphron felt guilty, believing herself to be the cause of Terra's grief.

"Terra… her parents… if I propose… what if I make things worse?" she asked out loud.

Knowing the story with Terra's parents already, as Saphron could be a bit loose-lipped after a few. He understood what she meant. And so, he answered with-

"To quote my uncle… To hell with them."

Saphron suddenly straightened up, looking at Vergil with a look of surprise.

"Tell me. Whe you told your parents about Terra, how did they react."

"… Oddly enough, they weren't upset." Saphron answered. "Surprised, yes, but… they were happy for me, and that I found someone I love."

"And that's part of what being a parent's all about." The Dark Slayer continued. "To show support and love for their child, whatever path they take. If her parents can't accept that part of her, then never mind them. She should just focus on the fact that she loves you, correct?"

Saphron gave him a small smile, with a set of worried eyes.

"You know these kinds of things aren't easy." She stated.

"They never are." Vergil agreed. "But would you really let the opinions of others affect your happiness?"

"…" This time, Saphron's eyes began to glimmer with hope. She let out a small laugh before saying "For a guy who can be as cold as ice… you're not such a bad guy."

Vergil finished the rest of his water. "I simply don't wish to see the wills of others restrained in such a fashion." He stated. "'Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained'. Tell me, Saphron. How strong is your desire to be with the one you love?"

Saphron was silent for a moment, looking down at the counter, Soon, though she looked up, looking more determined than before. She stood up and gave the Dark Slayer a light hug, which seemed to irritate him slightly, but did his best to hide it.

"Thanks for the talk." She said. "Next time you'll see me, you'll be looking at an honest woman." She said.

With that, Saphron left the bar, leaving Vergil by himself. He turned back to face the counter, just about to order another drink, when he saw sticking out from within his jacket. He took it out, seeing that it was the letter Qrow gave him earlier.

"… Let's see what you've been up to." He said, opening the envelope and began reading what was inside.

_Hi Vergil,_

_Hope your mission is going well. I heard you're headed to Argus, Dad told me that it's a cool city… thank god Mom was there to stop him from making another pun._

_Good news, Yang will be starting her last year in Signal soon. She's looking forward to it, since she's planning to go to Beacon like Mom and Dad did. I bet its going to be awesome._

_Oh, also, before I forget, I worked on those exercises you told me to do to work on my hand to hand… why do you have to be so mean? T-T_

_Anyway, I hope that your mission in Argus goes well. Show them what happens when you mess with Big Brother Vergil. Oh yeah!_

_Lots of love,_

_Ruby._

_P.S._

_I've got a surprise for you when you get home. I think it could help on your missions. Okay, later._

"Hmph." Vergil sounded with a smile.

Vergil put the letter away and stood up from his chair, leaving a small tip for the man behind the counter.

Vergil exited the bar, his expression becoming slightly darker than before. When he was far enough away, he looked up towards a nearby lamp post. Perched on it was a raven with red eyes. Hidden well enough to go unnoticed for some…

But not him.

Vergil created a summoned sword, aiming and firing at the raven. The bird had only a split second, but it was able to move out of the way, avoiding any kind of harm. The bird flew down, gliding right part Vergil's head. After a moment, Vergil turned around, seeing that there wasn't a raven behind him anymore… or rather, a different one.

Standing before him was a woman with long, black hair that was tied with a red sash and red eyes, sporting red and black armor gauntlets that had a few samurai influences, a red and black short-cut dress, a short skirt and long black boots with red soles. She carried a sheathed sword by her side.

"That was rather rude. You tried to hurt me." She said mockingly.

"I'll try harder next time." Vergil replied, his tone reaching ice-cold levels.

The woman placed a hand on her hip and gave him a dark grin. "You had a nice conversation with that woman. Acquaintance of yours?"

"Why are you here, Raven?" Vergil said, readying his hand in case he needed to summon the Yamato.

"Straight to the point, as usual…" Her smile slowly faded, as she stood up straight, seeming to deliver some serious news. "Vergil. I have a request for you-"

"I have no interest in helping you." Vergil said to her. "Whatever request you have, take it up with someone else."

Raven narrowed her eyes at the young man. "You should here me out before turning down the request."

"… As I said. Take it up with someone else." Vergil said, turning to walk away."

"Amber Autumn."

Before he could take a single step away, Vergil froze at the mention of that particular name. Slowly, he turned back, the woman looking at Vergil with the smug smile of victory.

"How do you know her." Vergil asked, now summoning the Yamato.

"So _now _I have your attention." Raven said to him. "… She was attacked. Some time ago actually. I'd say it was around a year, now."

"…"

Vergil felt his cold fury further grow. The woman Raven spoke of was a Huntress in training Vergil had met on his travels. While skilled and ready for action, there was something else about her that made her unique. A secret that, no doubt, would kill her if more people knew.

"Where is she now?" he asked.

"I could tell you… but first…" she walked over towards the lamp post and leaned against it, "Will you take my request?"

Vergil gritted his teeth. This woman was always a pain in his backside. She always seemed to know everything, working to be one step ahead of her enemies. How was it she knew of Amber? And what is it she wanted from her?

"… What is it you request?"

Raven pushed herself off the lamp post.

"There's an item in the Schnee family mansion that is of great interest to me. Retrieve it, and I will tell you where she is."

Vergil partially unsheathed the Yamato with his thumb.

"I assure you, I won't go back on my word." She said to him.

"That is _all_ you do." Vergil stated.

Raven then glared at Vergil. "This is to benefit my tribe. And I know how powerful you are. I've learned the hard way it's not best to double cross you."

"…" Vergil, after a moment of thought, fully sheathed the sword with an audible click.

"What is it you'd have me retrieve… _mentor_?" he asked, saying the title begrudgingly.

Raven pulled out a photograph, handing it to the Dark Slayer. Vergil looked at the photo, not a single reaction from him until he looked away from the photo.

"Why do you need…"

When Vergil looked up, Raven was gone, a few feathers floating down to the ground were all that remained. Vergil's glare softened, happy to no longer be troubled by the woman's presence. Vergil took one more glance at the photo, looking slightly perplexed at what he was seeing.

If what he was seeing was correct, the it looked like Raven isn't looking for him to steal something.

She wants him to kidnap Winter Schnee.

**And, that's that for this chapter.**

**So, there's another part of Vergil's story told. As you can see, I had Raven become Vergil's former mentor, which i figured would help inspire that fighting style we all know and love.**

**Also, the Knucker Grimm was based off of a type of Dragon I read about a while ago. I thought i'd add one in, since we got the Wyvern, a bit of variety in the dragons, you know?**

**And also, while I wasn't originally planning on adding it into the story so soon, I wrote the scene with Vergil and Saphron to highlight how Vergil is still serious in idea that might carves your path, but in a way to show that he's a bit more... human, i guess. Hope i did it justice, if not, than i'll try and learn for next time. plus now Saphron has more courage to propose to Terra now. YAY LOVE!**

**Right, that's all i have to say for the time being. If anyone has any questions, PM me. And don't forget to leave a review, feel free to say what you liked or hated, just don't be rude about it.**

**Right, that's enough **


	4. A job to do

'The stars look bright tonight, don't they?'

Summer and Taiyang were currently seated on the porch of the house, peacefully gazing up at the clear night sky. It was one of things that they both loved to do together.

Taiyang pointed up towards one particular set of stars. 'Hey, what do you think of those stars?'

Summer tried to follow her husband's directions, but couldn't find the ones he was trying to show her. 'Which one, Tai?

Taiyang pointed towards another nearby star. "See that big, glowing one there?" he asked.

Summer nodded.

'Okay, go down one… then go left…, four upwards, one, two, three, four… you see it now?'

Summer then saw what Taiyang was talking about. It was a constellation of stars that, when grouped together, looked like a flower, more specifically a rose. Summer smiled when she recognized it, having seen it only a few times before.

Taiyang leaned in closer to Summer as they both continued to look up.

'We saw that little beauty on the night we met.' Tai noted.

Summer looked at him, giving him a knowing look. 'You mean the night you accidentally whacked me across that the face with that tree-branch?' she inquired.

Hearing that made Taiyang cringe in embarrassment. Summer, in turn ended up laughing lightly.

'It's fine. I'm sure it could happen to anyone.' she said.

Summer stood up from her seat, arching herself backwards as she stretched her muscles. They must have been sitting outside for some time. She was about to look inside to see if Ruby and Yang were still up watching that scary movie. Ruby liked to pretend that she loved them, but she always ended up having to cling to Yang for dear life on the first jump scare.

She was interrupted, though, when she heard her scroll ringing. She took it out of her pocket to see who it was, only to beam with joy.

Taiyang noticed this and looked at her curiously. 'Everything okay, Summer?'

Summer looked back to Taiyang and showed him her scroll, showing him the picture of Vergil, along with his name underneath.

'Awesome.' Taiyang said. 'C'mon, answer it.' he added, looking forward to hearing from the boy.

Summer pressed the answer button and put it on loud speaker.

'Hey, Vergil.' Summer said.

'_Hello, Summer. Hope you're well._' Came Vergil's voice on the other end. '_Hope I didn't catch you at a bad time._'

'Not at all, kiddo.' Taiyang said.

Vergil gave a brief laugh when he heard his adoptive father speak. '_Taiyang. How goes your teaching at Signal._'

'As great as it will ever be.' Taiyang said. 'And, knowing me, I'm a pretty good teacher, aren't I?'

'_Considering you're the one responsible for making Yang as strong as she is… there is some credit deserved there._'

'Aw, thanks, I… hey, what do you mean 'Responsible', like it's something bad?'

'_Must I remind you of the Ceiling-Fan incident?_'

Hearing that, Taiyang instantly paled, remembering the event that should NEVER be remembered. Summer laughed again, always finding Tai's expressions hilarious.

'You do want us to call Ruby and Yang? They're in the living room… and I think Yang could use a reprieve.' She said, seeing Ruby squeezing the life out of Yang like it was for dear life.

'_I wouldn't mind at all._'

Summer knocked on the door. 'Ruby! Yang! Vergil's on the phone!'

At that, the two sisters burst through the door, falling and landing as a heap on the ground.

Ruby and Yang had certainly changed over the years.

The latter, now sixteen, had long, wild hair, dressed in a yellow tube top with her fire emblem on the left breast, a brown jack, orang scarf around her neck, black shorts with a brown belt around it and brown knee-high boots.

Ruby, now fourteen, has short, cropped black hair with red tips, dressed in a black long-sleeved dress with a black corset around her waist, a red cape with a hood, black stockings and combat boots. She also wore a belt that had a rose-like emblem attached to it.

Ruby pushed herself off the ground and dashed right up next to the scroll.

'Hi Vergil.' She said.

She heard Vergil laughing on the other end of the phone.

'_I take it you and Yang broke down the door again._' He asked.

Yang managed to get off the ground again, taking the liberty of answering Vergil's question.

'Not this time, bro. This time we just burst through.' She looked over to her parents and gave them a thumbs up. 'Good thing you kept the door unlocked this time, right?'

Ruby looked back at her mother's scroll. 'So, Vergil, how did your mission go?'

'_Simple enough task. The cause turned out to be a Knucker Grimm._' Vergil answered.

Hearing that, the whole family widened their eyes in surprise. Like any large Grimm, they were rather dangerous to deal with, and have been known to show know mercy, even against other Grimm. Furthermore, they were supposed to be extinct. Guess they were wrong. Yang was the first to recover, shrugging her shoulders like it was no big deal.

'Eh. Just another day in the office, right bro?' she said.

'_Indeed._' Vergil replied. '_Before I forget, Ruby, Yang, I received your letter, just to let you know._'

'Oh YAY!' Ruby said. 'Great to hear. What do you think?'

'… _For starters, Yang, are you looking forward to your last year at Signal?_'

'Are you kidding?' Yang asked. 'I can't wait to get through. That way I can head to Beacon and become a Huntress in no time.'

'And meanwhile I still have another three years to go.' Ruby added, slumping forward in disappointment.

'_Patience, Ruby._' Vergil said. '_Take all the time you have now to perfect your skills… that way, you'll prove to be the superior to the others._'

At that, Ruby immediately cheered up, and even went as far as to strike a victory pose.

'YEAH! LOOK OUT WORLD! RUBY ROSE IS ON HER WAAAAAAY!'

'… Soooo, Vergil, when are you back?' Yang said, trying to change the topic.

'_I have one more thing to do before I come home._' He answered. '_Shouldn't be too long, though._'

Ruby sighed. 'Aw. I was hoping to train more sooner.' She said, slumping forward.

'_Then be sure to keep your skills sharp for when I get my, Ruby._' Vergil answered. '_Yang, you too._'

Yang slammed her fists together. 'Oh yeah, I'llbe sure to kick your a… butt next time.' She said, not wanting to curse in front of Ruby.

'Just promise us you'll go easy on us with those exercises.' Ruby begged.

'… _No._' Vergil replied.

Summer grinned, knowing full well that Vergil was smiling on the other end of the line.

Ruby and Yang, on the other hand, looked a bit paler than usual, the thought of their brother's training regime bringing more fear than any horror film could ever hope to achieve.

Taiyang laughed as well before saying. 'We'll let you get back to your thing then. Hope you have a great time.'

'_Thank you, Tai. See you all soon._'

'BYE!' Ruby, Yang and Summer all yelled at the same time.

With that, Summer hung up and put the scroll down. She looked back at the girls with a smile. 'So, what now, kids?'

Ruby pushed the door open. 'Well, I plan on making a batch of cookies so good that even Vergil will wanna- THAT MAN'S FACE IS MELTING OFF!'

Seeing the clip of the horror film on the television, Ruby dashed to her sister and proceeded to squeeze the life out of her.

'Save me Yang! SAVE MEEEE!' Ruby begged.

'… Ruby… Not so hard…' Yang begged as she turned blue, before falling backwards onto the lawn.

'Uh oh.' Taiyang said, jumping from his seat. 'Hang on Yang! Ruby, let go of your sister!'

As Taiyang went to save Yang from Ruby's death grip, Summer watched in amusement. Just another night here, by the looks of it.

She then looked back at the sky, looking back at the constellation.

'I hope you're doing okay, Vergil.'

…

Vergil placed the scroll back into his pocket. A smirk appeared on his face.

"Thank goodness you're all still okay." He said.

The reason Vergil called his family, aside from wanting to see how they were, was to genuinely make sure that they were okay. He knew Raven well enough to know that she would use any dirty trick to get Vergil to comply with her… 'request'. Given that the woman had anchors to Yang, Taiyang and Summer it would be easy to get to them.

Much to his surprise, and his relief, they were left alone.

More than likely, she knew how far he would go to keep them safe if the need arise. After all, Vergil had become well adept at getting information out of people one way or another.

Another lesson from that woman.

Vergil shook his head, reminding himself that he needed to focus. Currently, he was standing a block away from where the Schnee family residence stood. He heard that the eldest daughter of the detestable CEO of the dust company was here. The only reason, by the sounds of things, was to visit her younger siblings.

Vergil found it slightly reassuring that not _all _of them were as heartless as that businessman... then again, he would need to see for himself before making any more assumptions.

Vergil warped from where he stood, appearing on the roof of the building overlooking the gates to that house. He knelt at the edge, observing the outside of the house. There were heavily armed guards stationed around every corner, as well as several cameras keeping an eye of different angles. Vergil will admit, Jacques knew how to make a good security system. Sneaking in would prove to me incredibly difficult.

However, Vergil wasn't one for sneaking up on an enemy, nor did he have the patience to wait anymore.

Vergil jumped down from the building and quickly walked up towards the gates, seeing two guards stationed there.

"Sir?" one of the guards said. "Sir, this area is off limits to everyone bu-"

The guard didn't get to finish, as Vergil whacked his chin upwards with the end of the sheathed, making the guard lean back, before Vergil spun the sword him his hand, ramming the pommel of his sword into the guard's chest, sending him through the gates, breaking the lock and opening the gates. Before the other guard could react, Vergil spun on his left foot and struck him with the other foot, in the head, instantly knocking him out.

The forceful opening of the gates set off the alarms on the inside, alerting the security personnel inside of there being an intruder. As Vergil saw a hoard of guards coming his way, he only shook his head, wondering why they would even bother.

"… Even still…" Vergil raised the Yamato, partially unsheathing it with his thumb. "You'll do for a warm up."

….

Winter wasn't very happy at the moment.

Currently, she was seated in the family library, an old history book opened before her. However, she was paying very little attention to the pages. Earlier this evening, she was with her younger sister, Weiss, helping her train.

Her Semblance, one that was inherited through the Schnee family tree. It allowed them to summon gluphs that would allow for different effects of the user's choosing, but also granted them the power to summon spectral clones of fallen enemies. She used this to summon a multitude of spectral Grimm. Weiss wasn't able to keep up with it in the end.

Winter had talked rather coldly towards Weiss about her performance, leaving Weiss to ponder on what she said. This, much to her frustration, left Winter feeling guilt-ridden. She knew what she said was… less than caring, but Weiss needed to learn to defend herself.

Winter rubbed her temples and sighed. "… Perhaps I should get some rest."

With that, she got up and placed the book back where she found it. Before she exited the library, her ears caught the sound of gunshots outside. Alert, she rushed to one of the windows to see what was going on.

There, her eyes caught sight of the security her father hired to guard this place, each any every member being downed in mere seconds. The cause, a blur zipped around the battlefield. IT sent several men flying into the air, while others were pushed aside, as if struck with great force.

Winter was about to go out there herself, already armed with her own sword. She was halted, though, when the blur came to a stop. Standing amidst the downed guards was a man with silver hair and wearing a black long coat, holding a sword on one hand and its sheathe in the other.

Winter continued to stare at the man for a moment, before turning her gaze to the guards. All of them seemed to be alive. It at least showed that this man wasn't out to kill anyone… she hoped. She turned her gaze back to the man…

Only to see that he was gone.

Winter's hand instantly went to her weapon, drawing the sword and running towards the door.

"Leaving so soon?"

Winter turned around, aiming the tip of her blade towards where she heard the voice. There was nothing in her line of vision, which only worked to make her more worried.

"Who are you?" she asked. "Why did you break in here?"

"..."

Winter slowly walked through the library, carefully listening for anything unusual in case the intruder was to make a move.

"There must be a reason for you to come here and hurt those guards.?" she asked. "What value is there to you here?"

"To me… nothing." He intruder said honestly. "All that matters to me is what I was promised afterwards."

Winter took another step forward. She was about to take another step, when she heard a feint creaking noise coming from above her. She leaped into the air, climbing a railing onto the next floor of the library. She looked around, seeing that there was still not a soul here.

"Rather jumpy, are we?" the intruder asked.

Winter only glared in response, knowing full well she was being toyed with.

"Enough of your games!" she yelled. "Come out and face me!"

The intruder suddenly appeared in front of Winter.

"As you wish."

The intruder punched Winter in the stomach, making her skid back. As she came to a stop, she was hunched over from the pain. However, she wasn't downed for long, as she instantly stood straight again, dashing towards the intruder, her weapon splitting into a sword and dagger.

Winter slashed at him with her sword, but blocked it with his sheathed blade. She thrusted her dagger at him, but he moved to the side, forcing Winter to slash her sword in a full circle. The intruder simply backed away, easily avoiding the attack.

"Are you done?" the intruder asked.

"…" Winter was now losing her temper with this man. How this man was able to move so fast was beyond her, but that doesn't mean that she was going to let him win.

"… What is your name?" she asked.

"Vergil."

Winter was surprised by the instant response. Either he was a fool, or he simply didn't care if she knew who he was or not. Nevertheless, she still kept her focus.

"I see…" Winter paused, nearly certain that she heard that name somewhere before. "… I'll be sure to have it carved on your headstone."

Instead of dashing towards him this time, she embedded her sword into the floor, a glyph forming beneath her feet. Several orbs of light began to circle around her, forming into… Nevermore.

Vergil grinned. "The famous Schnee Semblance." He said.

The Nevermore flew at Vergil, all intent to rip him apart. Before they could, unfortunately, the Huntsman unsheathed the Yamato, spinning it in front of him in his hand. As the Nevermore flew at him, several ended up flying directly into the path of the spinning blade, becoming sliced immediately. Several more flew around and tried to attack him from various directions. Vergil merely sheathed the blade and whacked at the incoming Nevermore, instantly turning to dust the instant his attacks landed.

After the artificial Grimm were dispensed with, Vergil glared at the Military specialist.

"Hmph. Typical." He said.

Winter furrowed her brow at this. "What?"

Vergil dispelled the Yamato and stood as still as a statue. "A Semblance that allows you to use copies of fallen enemies as familiars in fights… all their strengths… and none of your own."

"What are you implying?" she asked.

"How your Semblance reflects the cowardice of your family." He said, earning a look of anger from the woman. "You rely on the strength of others to win your fights, rather than use your own. One who possesses the might and power to fight back should use that power…" he slowly got into a fighting stance, similar to that of a boxer. "Rather than hide behind others as you run away in fear."

Winter was immediately enraged the intruder's words. She rushed forward with her sword, her dagger held behind so as to try and surprise him. When she was close enough, he did something he never expected any opponent to do.

He raised his arm in defense, allowing the blade to stab right through his arm.

Winter was immediately startled by the action. "… Your… your arm…" she said.

Vergil grinned, seeing that his taunt worked.

"Might. Controls. Everything." He said, pulling his arm back, yanking the sword out of Winter's hand in the process. "And without it-" Vergil blocked her dagger and it came close to his face. "You cannot PROTECT anything."

Winter pulled back the hand that held her dagger before lunging at him again, only for him to suddenly disappear.

"Let alone yourself."

Winter was suddenly wracked with pain as she felt a fist strike her directly where her neck met her torso. The force was enough to shatter her Aura, as well as knock her out in an instant. She dropped her dagger and fell to the ground, leaving Vergil as the only one standing in the room.

He turned to his arm, seeing the sword still lodged in there. He simply grabbed the weapon by the handle and yanked it out. Blood was splattered across the ground, somehow managing to miss Winter, but his arm instantly healed.

He summoned the Yamato and used it to open a portal to Raven's tribe. Before he left, he picked up Winter's dagger and sword, merging the two together, before summoning a demonic seal that would hold the weapon for him. He picked up Winter, holding her bridal style, before walking through to his former mentor.

….

Raven was meditating in her own tent, sitting in front of her mask that rested on the table in front of her.

Normally, she would be out training to keep her skills sharp, or training the other members of their tribe to make sure that they could handle themselves against any threats. But today she wasn't able for it. The sole reason being that she was feeling a measure of doubt.

She had demanded of her former apprentice to bring the second-in-command of the Atlas army to her doorstep. A member of the Schnee family, who had more say about what happens in Atlas than the actual city council there these days. It was a risky gamble to take, but if she had any information on the Summer and Winter Maidens, then it was worth it.

The main gamble, on the other hand, was her former apprentice.

He viewed her as an enemy after the event some time ago. An event that would more than likely put her and her people in danger at some point. But, he was by far the best person she knew who could do the job. And, with the information she had about the girl he knew, it might go better than expected.

Before she could think any more about it, she heard someone enter through the door.

"Leader."

Raven knew the voice. It was Vernal, the unofficial second-in-command of the tribe. And one of the few people Raven can trust. She turned around, seeing the woman with brown, short hair, blue eyes and rugged clothing.

"What is it, Vernal?"

"… He is here." She said, looking rather hesitant to speak of the man in question. "A portal… something like yours, appeared just outside, and… there they were."

"…" Raven said nothing, instead getting onto her feet and walking out of the tent. When she emerged, she saw all the tribesmen circled around, all facing the man with silver hair that sttod in the center…

And the woman he was tasked with bringing, glaring at the Tribe leader.

"I see you've completed the task." Raven said. "And here I had my doubts."

"What do you know about Amber?" Vergil asked.

Raven grinned at question. "Direct as usual, I see… bring her up here and-"

Vergil summoned the Yamato and unsheathed it, the edge of the blade barely touching Winter's throat. The Military specialist tried not to make any noise, as she didn't want to risk her throat being cut open.

"Answer my question." Vergil demanded. "Or do you wish her dead before you can use her?"

Raven glared at the man. He knew he wasn't bluffing. He would kill her just to spite her, unless she held up her part of the agreement immediately.

"Well? What will it be?" Vergil asked, just about ready to cut into the skin before Raven yelled at him.

"Don't! I'll tell you!" she said. "… Amber Autumn is being held at Beacon Acadamy." She answered.

Hearing this, Vergil actually felt surprised. Out of all the places she could've gone to, considering she was out of touch for so long, that was the last place he expected her to be.

"Why is she there?" he asked, now pressing the blade against Winters through, though not hard enough to break the skin… yet.

"She was injured. Ozpin is doing all he can to keep her alive." Raven answered. "That's about the only good that man has ever done."

Vergil scanned her face, looking for any sign that that she was saying was in any way a façade. When he saw that there was no trace of lying, he dispelled the Yamato, allowing Winter to breathe safely again.

Raven extended her hand out to him. "Now… bring her here."

"… I already did."

Raven was confused by what Vergil just said.

"You said I had to bring her here to the Tribe… I have fulfilled my end of the bargain, and acquired my price." A faint smirk appeared on his face. "She will not stay with you."

Raven instantly felt angered. She knew that he was a man of his word, but he didn't think he'd try to twist her words like that.

Angered by the apparent betrayal, one of the Tribesman, a man wielding two axes, ran at him.

"You BASTARD!" he roared.

Vergil warped in front of the man, landing a palm strike to his throat. As he choked, Vergil took his axes and slammed them against the ground, shattering the entirety of the weapons. Vergil them hit him with his elbow, knocking him out.

Another tried to strike him from behind by thrusting as him with a spear, but Vergil saw it coming a mile away.

"How sneaky." He said before dodging to the side, grabbing the spear and breaking the point off. He spun around and slammed the broken into the attacker's knee, destroying his Aura and penetrating his knee.

"AAAGGH!" he yelled as he fell to the ground, sobbing in pain.

Vergil looked behind him, seeing two more try to make their way towards Winter. Having none of it, Vergil summoned her sword and threw it to her, embedding itself into the ground her. It was just as well he decided not to bind her.

On instinct, Winter grabbed her weapons and slashed at her assailants, bringing them down easily. She looked over at Vergil, who's expression was blank, aside from the look of focus in his eyes.

"You kidnap me, then try to help me?" she asked.

"You were merely a means to an end." Vergil answered, avoiding a clumsy strike from another enemy, who Vergil knocked out in an instant.

As more tribesmen charged towards the two Hunters, Vergil summoned the Yamato, quickly opening a portal, followed with turning towards Winter and grabbing her by the shoulder.

"H-HEY!"

Winter was then yanked back and was sent through the portal. Vergil was about to step through as well, when he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder.

"… Is that all?" Vergil asked, turning his head to see his attack, whose face turned from an expression of triumph to fear.

He didn't get a chance to speak, as Vergil grabbed the blade of the weapon that protruded to his front side, pulling the sword forward and out of his attacker's grip, before pushing it back out, slamming it into his attacker's face.

He looked around, the looks of astonishment surrounding him of little interest. However, he did turn back to Raven, who looked ready to draw her own sword. Vergil lowered and shook his head in disappointment.

"Final warning, Raven…" Vergil turned back towards the portal. "Leave. Me. Be."

The Dark Slayer walked through the portal, which soon vanished, leaving the tribe in awe in what they saw. Vernal looked towards Raven.

"… What now, leader?" she asked.

Raven remained silent, but her eyes were screaming with fury. She was sure that she had him. She knew Vergil wouldn't go against a promise… but it seems that he wasn't afraid to make use of loop holes. Further more, he mde fools of the tribe, beating her people with shocking ease.

The worst part, they were unable to get their target. Any hope they had of locating the other Maidens was gone.

But there will be another chance. Although she would have to refrain from making the same mistake again.

"Until next time…" Raven grinned. "My apprentice."

…

"Home sweet home, Miss Schnee."

Vergil and Winter were now standing outside the Schnee estate. Winter had her sword sheathed at her side, but looked ready to draw it again upon seeing her kidnapper.

"Not a step closer." She threatened, keeping a tight grip on the handle of her sword.

Vergil sighed. "My business with you is finished. I have no further interest in you." He said.

"Wait!"

Vergil was about to turn and leave, when Winter held up a hand as yelled to him.

"I… I have just one question." She said to him.

"… Very well."

Winter kept a glare as she spoke, no fear present in her eyes despite having witnessed his skill and power. "Back at that tribe… would you have really killed me? Or was it a bluff?"

"…"

Vergil paused for a moment as he began to ponder on her question. He could have feigned igornance, or simply turn away and say that he had no interest… however…

"… I might have." He answered truthfully, seeing no reason to lie to the woman. "If it even meant to scorn the woman I spoke to, to prove to her how serious I was about the matter… but…"

"But?" Winter asked, her interest now peaked.

Vergil's expression became more stoic as he spoke on. "I made a vow. I vowed to my family that I wouldn't take the lives of the innocent. To have taken your life would've broken that vow."

"You see me as an innocent?" Winter asked, recalling the words he said about her family.

"I see a chance to prove me wrong." He said, surprising the woman. "You're family has many things said about it. If you truly care about your name… prove me wrong."

Winter's expression didn't change, but on the inside she was… to a degree, grateful. While this man still held disdain for the Schnee name, he showed to be a bit different. Giving them a chance to show that they can be better.

Winter then formed a smile on her face. "A momentous task, I can asure, you."

"_Great things are done when men and mountains meet._" Vergil recited. A line that proved itself true to him on more occasions than he could count. "Until next time… Winter."

With that, Vergil warped out of view. Winter stood still, pondering on their conversation. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted, when she heard someone calling out her name.

"Miss Schnee!"

The former Heiress turned around, seeing several of the guards making their way towards her. Most of them were limping, but looked to be moving forward despite the pain. The one who spoke to her, holding his right arm, walked up directly to her, a look of worry on his face.

"Are you alright, Miss Schnee?" he asked. "We looked all over for you, but we couldn't find you." He then hung his head in shame. "… I'm sorry… we failed y-"

"Nonsense."

The guard looked up at the woman, who placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You did your job. You tried your hardest to stop him. In all honesty, it was quite difficult for me to fight him as well." She gave him a nod. "Thank you. And don't worry, I managed to drive him away."

She looked towards the rest of the guards, her expression becoming more serious. "Although, if you wish to help me further, please call for some medical help. I'll find some first aid kits."

The guard nodded, using his free hand to call the emergency services while the rest of the guards rested on the ground, on her instruction. As Winter ran towards the house, her thoughts went back to the man. His skill, that power, that weapon. She grinned as soon as she finally made the connection she should've made the moment she saw him. She couldn't help but feel a bit giddy from it.

After all, there weren't many who could fight the Dark Slayer head on and come out alive.

….

Vergil passed through another portal, his eyes closed as he stepped onto the patio ground. After that whole fiasco, he wanted to take a rest. To go back to his home in Patch and meet up with his family, feeling more proud to see them having managed to keep his word to Summer and Taiyang, the only things meeting the edge of the Yamato will be Grimm…

And the Demons responsible for Dante and his mother's death.

The mere memory of the event was enough to make Vergil's eyes glow red with rage. He soon calmed down, though, as he knew he had one more task to do for the night. He looked up to see the sight before him.

Beacon Academy.

"Time for some answers." Vergil said, taking a couple of steps forward.

"On what, my boy?"

With speed faster than the eye could register, the Yamato was unsheathed and pointed where Vergil heard the voice. Vergil looked to see who it was, only to see that his Yamato was pointed directly at the middle of a pair of spectacles.

"Long time, no see, my boy." Ozpin said, his signature mug in hand as he gave Vergil a friendly smile. "Care for some Coco?"

**And with that, I'm going to leave it there.**

**Don't worry, for those of you wondering, Amber's connection to Vergil will be explained in the next chapter. I wanted to focus on the Job Raven wanted to Vergil to do, only for him to turn the tables on her. It was also to show that, while the eldest son of Sparda has mellowed out compared to how he is in the games, he can still be serious and won't take any nonsense. And, his might philosophy is still there, but it's more akin to Nero's reasons for desiring power.**

**Right, can't think of anything other to say, other than be sure to say if there's anything you liked, or didn't like, and perhaps some suggestions as to how to improve. With how slow I've been writing, due to life outside of writing, I wouldn't mind some advice on how to keep my skills sharp.**

**Okay, I'll see you guys later, hope you all have a great day, and I'll leave you with my favorite W. Blake Quote.**

**"Exuberance is Beauty"**


	5. Beginnings

**Here's a story I haven't gotten around to in a while... as well as others.**

**Hi all, hope everyone's well. I've been kept busy with college to the point that it isn't really much of a joke anymore. I'm really wanting to do well so I haven't been able to type as much for my stories, more so for assignments. Hard to write well when you have work that needs to be done.**

**In relation to that, just because I haven't gotten around to a story in a while DOESN'T mean that I've stopped writing it altogether. Unless it's not on my page anymore or it has the word 'CANCELLED' in the title, it's ongoing. I just need to find the inspiration to start writing. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy you like my works, I'll listen to what you have to say, but I'm not at your beckon call. I just wanted to say that.**

**Well, enough of the dreary talk for now. Here we have ourselves another part of the story. Vergil came to Beacon to find out what happened to Amber, only to meet the man that could give the answers. How will Vergil react to all this, you'll find out now. Also, another two favorite RWBY character are about to make an appearance, and it's not good news for our heroes (Or in Vergil's case, 'Anti-Hero' i guess).**

**Also, did ANYONE see that William Blake quote in 'Challenges in Argus'? if not, see if you can spot it.**

**Right, with that out of the way, enjoy the chapter.**

**...**

"Ugh! You've GOTTA be kidding me!"

The industrial district was surprisingly quiet tonight. Many of the warehouses seemed to have been emptied, including one of the that was said to have contained a large shipment of dust, worth at least 2 million lien. Had they gotten their hands on a shipment that big, they would have been able to sell it on the black market for a higher price. Heck, they would have been rolling around in lien, they could've been set for life.

And yet, seeing the empty warehouse seemed to dash his dreams.

After pinching the bridge of his nose, he eventually put his frustration behind, placing his hands on his hips. "Damn. I guess that guy wasn't any good after all." He said. "If you're selling info you'd better make sure it's frickin' right."

The man in question had orange hair and green eyes with long eyelashes. He wore a black bowler had, a white coat, a grey ascot around his neck, black pants and dress shoes, and carried a cane in his hand. He slammed the tip of the cane on the ground before looking behind him.

Standing behind him was a young girl with brown and pink hair, a brown eye and pink eye and pale skin. She wore a white tail-coat jacket, a brown corset, pants and white boots. she had several necklaces hanging around her neck.

"Sorry Neo, looks like a bust." The man said.

The girl, Neo, silently sighed in disappointment. She thought that it would be their big score as well. The man walked over to her and patted her head, sending her a grin.

"Ah, don't worry about it, kiddo." He said. "We can't always get lucky, but we'll do better next time. Just like I promised."

Hearing this, the girl's expression seemed to brighten up a bit. She gave him a nod in agreement before used her hands to make various signs. The man smiled at the signs.

"Sounds good to me. Never let it be said Roman and Neo work on empty stomachs." He said. "So, what would you like? Some ice-cream?"

Neo pouted at Roman's comment, making the adult chuckle, but it was followed by a smile by her soon after. They both then walked away, deciding to head to one of the bars in the shady area of the town. Much to their shock though, a wall of fire appeared right before them, expanding in width and height. The duo jumped back in shock at the torrent of flames.

"WHAT THE HECK!?" Roman yelled. He raised his cane, pointing the end at the fire. The bottom surface tilted off, revealing it to be a target icon. "Who the hell did that?"

"Rather panicky, aren't we?"

Roman and Neo turned around, now seeing three individuals standing behind them. They all stood in the shadows, making it difficult for the criminal duo to see what they looked like. However, the one standing in the middle had one defining aspect, a pair of glowing ember eyes that seemed to pierce the two with fear.

Roman hid his worry well, though Neo looked rather nervous as she stepped behind the man with the bowler hat.

"What are you guys? Huntsmen?" he asked, raising and aiming his cane-now-firearm at them. "If so, then you've chosen the wrong crook to deal with." He finished, grinning with fake confidence.

"… Hmm…" the middle figure snapped her fingers, dispelling the firewall.

Said figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing a young woman with ashen black hair and ember eyes, dressed in a red long-sleeved dress with a short skirt and golden designs around the chest and arms. She also wore a pair of glass high-heeled shoes.

"It seems you have the wrong impression, Mr. Torchwick." The woman said. "We seek co-operation, not trouble."

Roman kept his weapon up, not planning on lowering his guard any time soon. "Yeah right, like I haven't heard that before." He said, recalling all the other times other criminals sought his help, only for them to stab him in the back soon after.

The woman began walking to the side, soon circling around the duo. "I understand you prefer to work with as few people as possible… but I can guarantee you that I am more earning of your trust than…" she looked over towards Neo, a disapproving frown on her face. "Most individuals."

Neo glared at the woman in offence.

"Easy, Neo." Roman said, without taking his eyes off the woman. "… Let's say I was interested… what would you want me to do… and what do I get out of it?"

The woman looked back, nodding towards the two individuals in the shadows. One of them nodded, before raising her hand and clicking her fingers. In an instant, the once empty warehouse became flooded with crates of dust, both crystal and refined forms. The sight nearly made Roman drop to his knees, the gold mine he had been dreaming for suddenly right before him.

"… How the…" was all he was able to say.

"To answer your question, we will need you to help us cause as much unrest in the city as possible, as well as helping to deal with a… 'certain problem' as of late." The woman said. "In exchange, we will aid you in your usual activities. Any and all means to line your pocket with all the Lien in the world will be at your fingertips."

Neo's glare at the woman intensified. She couldn't believe it. That woman had to be lying, planning on causing them trouble again. She looked to Roman, seeing he was still dazed. Annoyed by his behavior, she slapped him right across the face.

"OW!" he yelled. "Right, right…" he said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "That all sounds like a pretty sweet deal. Causing chaos shouldn't be a problem… but…" he raised the tip of his bowler cap before continuing. "What's this 'certain problem' you mentioned? If it's too major, you can just walk out now."

The woman gave Roman and Neo a dark, ominous smile. She liked that he was putting some actual thought into this. Most cronies would just fall in line after seeing the money. It was refreshing for her to meet someone with _some _form of intelligence. The woman pulled out something hidden within her left sleeve before throwing it towards the criminal. He easily caught it before looking at the photo.

"… This all you need?" he asked before showing the picture to Neo, who also looked surprised.

The woman nodded. "Help me with this, and I'll insure your wealth, and your notoriety."

Roman was silent for a moment. It still didn't seem like this woman could be trusted, but the same thing could be said for him and Neo. Not to mention it looked like this was their way into the big leagues. He wasn't sure if there was really anything to gain, but it didn't look like there was anything to lose.

"… Alright. We're in."

The woman gave another wicked grin, her eyes glowing once more.

"Excellent choice."

…

"I take it you're not going to have any Cocoa?"

Ozpin continued to smile at the Dark Slayer, despite the fact that he was still held at sword-point. As he waited for Vergil to calm down, he briefly looked at his eyes, intending to understand what form of emotion he was feeling.

"Vergil. If something is bothering you, then how about lowering that blade and discussing it like gentlemen?"

Vergil stayed stationary for one more moment. He closed his eyes, his decision seemingly made as he sheathed the Yamato. Ozpin was happy to see this. The last few times the two had spoken, Vergil had been very honest about his… 'distaste' for the Headmaster. Vergil never explained his reasons, but the message was still as clear as day.

"If you wish to keep your head, I suggest you refrain from startling me in the future." Vergil stated.

Putting that aside, Ozpin was now curious as to why Vergil arrived unannounced. "So… to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Vergil's expression didn't change as he spoke. "I'm looking for someone. I was told that she was last seen here."

The headmaster nodded. "I see. Well, if she was here, then I might have seen her before. What does she look like?"

"Tanned skin, Brown hair and eyes. Carries a staff with her."

"…"

Vergil noticed that Ozpin became ever so slightly stiff upon hearing Vergil's blunt description. The man was trying his best not to give himself away, and would've been successful had it been a normal person he had been talking to. Much to the Headmaster's misfortune, Vergil wasn't someone that could be fooled easily.

"I… believe that I have seen a person like that. She passed here on her travels, eager to see what the Academy was like." He said. "I haven't seen the woman since, I'm afraid. Any particular reason you're looking for her?"

Ozpin's eyes gained a more suspicious look as he asked that question. It seemed that when it came to the Fall Maiden, the Headmaster seemed to become more cautious. In Vergil's mind, he seemed to be doing something right.

"Mere concern." Vergil answered.

"… I see…" Ozpin began to move forward. "Well, I hope you-"

The Yamato was removed from the sheathe, the edge with unmatched sharpness now precariously held against Ozpin's throat. Ozpin didn't look surprised, but he did look at Vergil with a hint of confusion.

"I take it you don't believe me?" Ozpin asked, not allowing the Dark Slayer to intimidate him.

"If your lies are solely to protect her, then I understand. Be that as it may, I already had to put myself through unnecessary hardship to find out where she was. If you don't take me to her…" Vergil's eyes slowly began to glow, his glare becoming more intense. "Then I will have you reveal it by force."

Ozpin listened to what Vergil had to say. After a brief moment, he let off the slightest of laughs. "I see. You _are _the one then." Ozpin gave the slightest of nods. "Very well. If you would allow me, I will take you to her."

With that, Vergil sheathed his weapon again, allowing Ozpin to walk ahead in hopes of the man keeping his word. After a short walk, they arrived at the tower where Ozpin's office was set up. The door opened, both stepped in and Ozpin moved his hand towards the dial. He held down one of the buttons, causing all of them to glow green. Vergil didn't voice his surprise, but looked on with mild curiosity.

The elevator began to lower. As it did, Ozpin decided to speak.

"When we first met Amber, she seemed to have emerged victorious from a battle in a settlement not too far from here. An attack from the White Fang, unsurprisingly."

The Dark Slayer was still silent, but felt irked by the mention of that particular group. The White Fang, a group of the Faunus, people born with animal traits, that started out as a peaceful protest group to help gain equality between humans and Faunus. It later turned into an extremist terrorist group that sought to make humanity their underlings. In all honesty, Vergil despised them not just for their actions, but from the fact that they gave up on their journey for peace in favour of the path that would only make things worse for Faunus.

Such weak-willed fools weren't worth his time.

"Amber answered the call to arms and fought against the group, managing to hold her own for a while. Unfortunately, the leader of the raid proved more difficult than the rest, managing to overpower her. He was about to strike her down…" Ozpin grinned. "But at that moment, the power of the Fall Maiden was bestowed upon her."

The elevator dinged, the door opening to reveal a large hallway dimly lit with grren lighs embedded into the wall. He stepped out, motioning for Vergil to follow him. As the two walked through the hallway, Ozpin continued the story.

"Instinctively, Amber used the power to send the Leader back, as well as the other White Fang soldiers that accompanied him. However, since the power was still so new to Amber, it took too much energy and she became weakened from using such a powerful attack. The leader quickly recovered and saw this as the perfect opportunity to strike her down."

"I assume he didn't?" Vergil asked jokingly.

Ozpin grinned. "As it turned out, another warrior was there at the time. Before the White Fang leader struck, he came to her aid and bested him with apparent ease. Soon after, the White Fang retreated…."

Ozpin looked back at Vergil. "This man was said to have carried a sword similar to yours."

"…"

Vergil didn't say anything, but Ozpin knew very well that it was this man that came to her aid. Ozpin looked forward again as they continued down their path. Soon, they came to a stop, with Ozpin nodding forward.

"You wished to see Amber…" Ozpin stepped to the side. "… so here she is."

Resting up against the end of the hallway was a medical pod, along with several other devices linked to it. Inside the pod was the same girl Vergil described, only this time with severe scarring across her face, and dress in a green skirt and top as her condition was monitored from within the pod.

The Yamato's wielder was astonished by the scene, to the point that he made no effort to hide his emotions this time.

"Amber?" Vergil said unconsciously. Taking time to register what he was seeing, his expression returned to its usual form, before his eyes began to slowly reflect a form of grim concern. He looked back at Ozpin. "What happened to her."

Ozpin gave his answer. "Around a year ago, Amber was attacked while on the road. From what we know there were three of them, each one proving formidable. They were after her abilities, no doubt."

"Are you sure?" Vergil asked. It was a safe guess, but he wasn't one to just rely on assumptions.

"Three fighters, two of them female, targeting Amber specifically out of the blue with such deadly skills of their own? It's too much of a coincidence for it to be anything else." Ozpin answered.

"… I stand corrected then." Vergil said, looking back at Amber.

The power of the Maidens was certainly something that any and all would wish to own, gaining power that made dust and Semblances look like a measly finger-flick in comparison. With it, serious damage can be caused to the kingdoms, especially by the likes of the White Fang, or other groups that wish to push or emphasis superiority to those who won't be able to fight back.

Ozpin gripped his cane more tightly before looking at Amber himself. "… Vergil. Do you know how the Maiden's powers are passed?"

"… I am familiar with the process." Vergil answered. "As the previous Maiden dies, the last female on their mind will inherit the power. Otherwise, a female candidate will be chosen at random."

"Indeed." Ozpin said. "Given what Amber has been through, I would say that her attackers may be plaguing her thoughts right now. And with the confirmation on them being female…"

Vergil smirked. "It seemed our attackers had a vague idea on what they were doing." He stated. "… Though… there is one other problem." He said with mild interest.

Ozpin didn't respond. He didn't like how cold Vergil was acting right now. He thought that if he was indeed the same person that saved her, then Vergil might be more… worried. Afraid for her. Vergil wasn't the best for expressing his emotions, but the cold fury in his eyes that woke when someone he cared for was hurt… how…

"Do you not feel any pity towards her?" Ozpin asked, hiding his shock.

"… She doesn't need to be burdened with pity."

This made Ozpin lift his head is surprise, looking at the Dark Slayer just in time to see Vergil's eyes move towards the Headmaster.

"Right now, she needs you to help her recover. Seeing how the power could be passed on to her attacker, or perhaps some other imbecilic should she have the capability to keep her head clear of thought upon death, could end up claiming the power… I would much rather it be in the hands of someone who seeks to help others… someone who had shown to be a worthy Huntress beyond imagine."

"…"

Ozpin was slightly moved by Vergil's words. He never heard him speak so highly of anyone outside his family before. The who earned his respect could be counted on one hand. And yet, it seems that Amber had somehow proved her worth to the man. He unconsciously smiled at this.

"… Now, before I was interrupted…" Vergil looked back at Amber. "It seems her attackers may have made an error that could be Amber's salvation."

Vergil could feel the shock and rising hope coming off of Ozpin without having to look at him. He fought the urge to smirk as he continued.

"I have heard that when a Maiden is chosen, their power is a part of their body. It becomes as integral as the heart and a set of lungs." He said. "Her declining state may be because her power may have been stolen after all."

The hope Ozpin had been feeling before was quickly replaced with fear and dread, forcing Ozpin to lean on his cane as his balance seemed to waver. "… Vergil… tell me you're joking."

"It's no joke. The power Amber had at the settlement, even when not in battle, is far beyond what it is now. It only proves my theory that her power was taken." The Dark Slayer stated. "… But fear not." Vergil said, turning and walking away from Amber and Ozpin.

"V-Vergil!" Ozpin called out.

"If Amber were to die now, the rest of the Fall Maiden power would pass onto her attackers. But it also works the other way around. When we find the thief, the power will be whole and allow for Autumn's recovery." Vergil explained. "Tracking the thief will be difficult, but not impossible."

Vergil was halfway towards the elevator door when he came to a stop. He looked behind him, seeing Ozpin glaring at Vergil with anger. Vergil looked at the man in confusion, not because of that emotion displayed… but because of another that his eyes gave away.

"What worries you?" Vergil asked.

Ozpin was silent for a moment, but Vergil allowed him the time to answer. He knew that he threw a lot of information towards Ozpin, so it would be difficult for him to process it all. So long as it didn't take him the entire night to answer, he didn't mind.

"… How do you know so much about the Maidens?" Ozpin asked. "What you said. about how her power was stolen. How you could even tell that. You know more than anyone should know… how is that?"

Vergil summoned the Yamato before saying "That secret is my own."

With that, Vergil opened another portal, quickly sheathing the blade and about to walk straight through. As soon as he did, the portal closed, leaving Amber and Ozpin by themselves in the great chamber. The Headmaster closed his eyes and cleared his thoughts. He was genuinely surprised that he knew so much about the Maidens. Amber told him that she didn't reveal too much about the Maidens. To think that he was in that deep.

But if he knew that much… then what was the possibility that he knew about _her _as well?

Ozpin pushed that idea of his head for now. For now, if he was right, he needed to find the attackers as soon as possible. Their descriptions were vague, but they were all they had to go off of. He looked at Amber on last time before making his way to the elevator. As he walked, he took out his scroll, typing a message before sending it off.

"_Vergil… even if what you say is true… will you be willing to kill another human?_" he asked himself as he pressed the button for the elevator.

…

Vergil stepped out from the portal, shaking his head in relief that the conversation with Ozpin had finally come to an end. If he was to be honest, what happened in that chamber was tougher on him than he was willing to admit. Amber was a good person. She shouldn't have had that happen to her.

Vergil unsheathed the Yamato and held the blade horizontally, allowing the moonlight to catch the blade. He gazed at his reflection, contemplating his own words back there. He knew that the power would become whole when one of the bearers was to die, and that it was the best option to save Amber.

But part of him wasn't sure if he was willing to break his oath. The vow to only kill the Grimm and Demons. As a man of his word, Vergil felt conflicted over what to do.

"… No point pondering on it for now."

He sheathed and dispelled the Yamato. He looked up, a smile forming as he recognized the residence up ahead. It was a short walk up before reaching the front door. He knocked on the door and waited for a response.

It was only a couple of seconds later did he see the two girls of the Rose-Xiao Long household.

"VERGIL!" Ruby cried as she jumped and latched onto the katana wielder. "You finally made it! What took you so long!"

Yang stepped outside the door, smiling as she lightly punched Vergil in the shoulder. "Got stuck with another high-profile case Mr. Big-shot?"

Vergil smiled at the question, seeing how Yang had no idea how right she was. "You could say that." He answered. "It's finally over for now."

Yang looked at him curiously. "For now? Is there more to it?"

"That… is yet to be determined." He said, picking the right words to make sure they would lose interest. He knew first-hand how persistent they could be with questions, and this wasn't something he was comfortable talking about.

He tapped Ruby on the head twice, signalling her to let go. Thankfully, she complied and released him.

"So, what do you wanna do? I got a new board game that we could play, it's supposed to be cool!"

Vergil quickly looked at Yang, who was quickly shaking her head, presumably in disagreement to Ruby's statement. This was confirmed when Ruby looked at Yang, who quickly changed to nodding her head, before shaking it again when Ruby looked away.

"I appreciate the offer, but perhaps another time" Vergil said. "Are Summer and Tai still awake?"

"Nah, they got sleepy star-gazing and decided to call it a night." Ruby answered. She looked up towards the sky held her hand above her eyes, seeing the stars glisten in the night. "Looks really pretty too."

Yang rolled her eyes. "I don't get how people can waste time looking at the sky when they could be doing something fun."

Vergil looked up towards the sky, his expression seemingly blank as he looked up at the stars. He recalled the time Eva and Dante all had a picknick on his and his brother's sixth birthday. She wanted them to see the night sky, unaffected with the artificial light of the city, and look at the stars. She had always enjoyed looking at them, believing them to have a stronger meaning to them. She wished to share her experience with the twins. Neither gained any particular interest in star-gazing after that night, but it was still a good birthday to them.

One of the remaining memories of his past life that he cherished… and brought great sorrow.

"… There are some who believe that the stars hold great meaning." Vergil commented, gaining the girls' attention. "Whether it be guidance for the future, or to learn more about ourselves… but personally… I find interest in how the night sky still seems to come alive. Even with the turmoil our world faces, it's the one good thing that will always be with us."

"…" Yang was silent for a brief moment after hearing that. Vergil wouldn't be one to talk about something with that kind of passion. She felt her expression match her feelings of concern when she realized, he was thinking of his past. She was never told what happened, she could tell it had affected him badly.

To change the mood, she shook her head and sighed. "Geez, Vergil. What's with the cheesy speech? Don't tell me you're getting soft on us?"

That alone made Vergil grin before looking back at Yang. "I'll gladly prove you wrong tomorrow."

Ruby gasped and grinned with sudden anticipation. "Oh boy, those sound like fightin' words! Are we gonna fight? If we are, I'd better polish Crescent Rose!" Ruby said, about to dash off before Vergil stopped her.

"Patience, Ruby." Vergil told her. The slightest of smiles then appeared on Vergil's face before continuing. "For now, get some rest. If either of you are still willing, we'll spar tomorrow. But be sure to bring your best."

Ruby's eyes sparkled at the mention of that, the chance to use her weapon again too joyous to resist. "Will do!" Ruby said, giving her brother a salute before dashing in the house, presumably to her room.

With Ruby gone, Yang laughed before motioning towards the door. "You wanna stay here tonight? Summer still kept you're room the way it was."

"_Why am I not surprised?_" Vergil thought briefly. "Thank you… but I'm fine at my own place." Vergil said turning and walking away from the house. "Tell Summer and Tai I said hello."

With that, Vergil walked away, leaving Yang alone at the doorway. She looked at Vergil curiously as he left. She didn't know what it was, but… there was something telling her that something happened to Vergil. Something he didn't want to talk about. She quickly tried to ignore it, knowing that Vergil will tell them if something on his mind when he's ready to.

"… Stay safe bro." Yang said quietly as she went back inside.

Unknown to her, as Vergil was walking away, he heard Yang's words, making him smile.

Vergil also heard the door click, prompting him to look back and see that Yang was gone and the door closed. His smile faded as he turned back around and walked on. He took out his scroll and began scrolling through his contacts.

During his time with Raven, she had wished for him to become a part of her clan. His power had already proven great from a young age, becoming more formidable as he grew. Raven thought him how to fight, showing the basics before deciding to train on his own, improving what he had been shown. It wasn't long after that he left the clan. She made it seem like she was someone he could count on. A mentor and friend…

Until he learned the real reason why she wanted him to join, that is…

Nevertheless, Raven had done everything to gain Vergil's trust. This included telling him information on the Maidens. Raven laid the foundation for his knowledge, prompting Vergil to study it more later in life. In the process, it sparked a question the man had always been afraid to ask. How was is Raven came to know of the Maidens' existence?

It seemed that question had finally been answered. Raven was a student at the academy after all, and the Headmaster seemed to know everything about magic-wielders. It only proved his theory furthered is distrust in the man of many secrets.

In her time at Beacon, there was only one person that she relied on, that she trusted her life to… who she would reveal such knowledge to.

Vergil had stopped scrolling when he found the name he was looking for. He dialled and waited for the person to answer.

"_Hey Vergi-*HIC*_" Orow said when he answered the phone.

From the sounds of things, Qrow had found himself in another bar. "Qrow. Drinking yourself to an early grave again, are we?" Vergil said.

"_Whoa… a little snippy there, kiddo._" Qrow stated, surprised by Vergil's sharp tongue. "_What, am I getting sent to the principal's office?_"

"I saw Amber. Ozpin told me about the attack."

"…"

Vergil didn't hear anything from the other end of the line for a few seconds. He closed his eyes and sighed in disappointment at the deafening silence.

"_Ozpin let slip I was her bodyguard, huh?_"

"… Ozpin said nothing about you… but thank you for proving me right." Vergil sated.

He could hear Qrow choking on liquid from the other side, a sure sign that the Veteran Huntsman realised his mistake.

"And he certainly didn't say anything about you being her protector, as strange as that sounds." Vergil continued. "… How could you have no-"

"_I was following her at a distance._" Qrow explained. "_Amber still wanted to travel the world, so Oz asked me to keep an eye on her. She got too far ahead of me and… well… you know…_"

A brief silence formed, which Vergil broke quite quickly. "I understand. Forgive me for my words."

"_Nah, it's fine. It shows you care, at least._" Orow said with a humorous tone. "_So, did you call just to give me a big scolding or what?_"

"I'm calling because Ozpin said he was given a description of the attackers. I need you to tell me as well."

"… _Heh, let me guess…_"

Vergil could tell Qrow was smiling on the other end.

"Whoever was responsible will soon be brought to justice. And I will gladly show you and Ozpin how to do the job properly."

"_And there's that damn pride of yours_." Qrow commented. "_I'll text you the info. For now, I've got a few glasses of scotch on my way. Later kiddo._"

Qrow hung up on Vergil. The katana-wielder continued to walk back to his own residence on the Island. As he walked, his Irises slowly shifted from blue to red, the al the emotions he had been feeling in regards to the matter coming to the surface.

For as of now… the real hunt finally begins. And the culprits will weep and suffer by his and, when they come to witness this Devil's power.

"… It begins…"

**And that's it for now. Granted i know it's a little shorter compared to some of the other chapters, but was what i was wanting to focus on. And let me tell you it was hard as HECK to write. Had a hard time trying to picture it and had to do the whole thing over and over, which was made longer due to the problems mentioned above...**

***Sigh*...**

**Anyway, that's that. But before I go, to 'TheCambionsAngel', that was a poor move on my part failing to respond to your request sooner, and I apologize. To give you an actual answer to your request, I can't do it. I wanted to, but i wouldn't be able to do it justice since I have poor understanding of Dragonball in general. I tried watching it, didn't help. Sorry about that good sir.**

**With that, I've nothing left to say. Hope everyone has a good day, and I'll see you all later ;-)**


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